Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It wasn’t quite as easy as just stepping onto the Havoc Marauder and suddenly becoming an integral part of the team, even if that’s what it may have looked like to Rex as he waved goodbye to Echo. It hadn’t been an easy choice either, despite the decision being made in no more than five seconds after he’d been given the captain’s blessing. The truth of it was, it was less daunting to start his whole life over from scratch than to try and squeeze himself back into what had become of his old life.

Echo didn’t really think there was much left of his old life to really count. Stars, he didn’t even have much left of his old body. It would have been like trying to place Crosshair’s firepuncher into a blaster holster. It just wouldn’t fit. He was a different person now, a different type of weapon, a different clone.

Different.

The word had never really meant much to him during his short life. Being a clone, differences were harder to come by physically. Hence most of the troopers choosing to personalize their copied bodies in one way or another, just so they could stand out. Gain some sense of individuality. Echo had prided himself on being trained as an ARC trooper, for standing out among thousands of the same face.

Now though…he was more different than even that.

The modifications made to his body set him apart from everyone he once knew, and it was jarring to feel set apart from even his old self. How much of him was left at this point? How much had been changed by his time with the Techno Union physically? Mentally? He wasn’t quite sure who he was anymore.

A fresh start seemed the best choice for him in that moment, even though he could still feel the pull of his old life waiting behind Rex. He hadn’t spent much time with the Bad Batch yet, but he could see a group of clones that were used to standing out, to being different. They would know better than anyone how to live like that, and to take their deviations and use them for a greater purpose. Cause that’s what a clones’ life was. Purpose. They were created with a goal in mind, not out of love or whatever else nat borns were made from. Echo saw nothing wrong with being created for a purpose, in fact it made his life simple up until now. He craved that sense of peace again. To know that he wasn’t useless, and he had a place in the universe.

Yes. It would be easier to find his place by going with the Batchers. Not easy. But easier.

Plus, they seemed like a lively bunch. Should be interesting anyway.

At least that was how Echo comforted himself as he walked onto the ship, trailing behind his new teammates.

“Alright, Tech, let’s get out of here,” Hunter ordered as the ramp closed up behind them. The order probably wasn’t necessary, seeing how Tech was already at the controls and strapped in, but nobody protested as they got settled in.

“Do we have a destination?” Tech asked as his hands flew over the controls.

Hunter sat down in the copilot’s chair heavily, “Kamino. We’re due for restocking of supplies anyway, and we’ve got to get Echo settled in before whatever mission they send us on next.”

Wrecker let out a loud whoop and punched Echo on the shoulder, “Ah ha! We’re going home!” he cheered as Echo rubbed the spot on his arm that even armor couldn’t prevent from hurting a little bit. Going off of how many times he’d seen Wrecker playfully hit his other teammates, it was something he’d have to get used to. Oddly enough it was comforting to have someone treat him like he wasn’t made of glass since his rescue.

Crosshair rolled his eyes at the behavior, but didn’t walk away like Echo would have assumed he would. Instead he made his way further into the cockpit and stood between Hunter and Tech as the ship took to the sky. He seemed to hover there as the sky turned from blue to white, and then to black as they broke out of the atmosphere. Of all the Bad Batchers, Echo was the wariest of their sharpshooter. His severe personality and blatant dislike of regular clones made Echo a little more cautious around him. But seeing the casual way that he leaned against Tech’s chair and how well he functioned with the team during their latest mission, Echo had hopes that the sniper wasn’t as harsh as he seemed.

“Come on over, Echo!” Wrecker called, a bit too loudly for such small confines, but it broke Echo from his thoughts and brought a half smile to his face from the unnecessary enthusiasm. With only minor hesitance, Echo followed the others into the cockpit, taking in the controls around him.

It obviously wasn’t his first time in an attack vessel, but this one even to his untrained eye had been heavily modified. He heavily suspected Tech had a hand in that. Still, it looked functional enough, and he didn’t see any immediate code violations yet.

“Plotting the course for Kamino now. Should take us at least 18 standard hours to reach our destination,” Tech said crisply, his goggle lenses glinting with blue light as they went into hyperdrive.

Hunter made a pleased sounding grunt and leaned back in the chair, hands tucked behind his head, “That sounds like enough time to get some shut eye once we’re all settled in,” he said, glancing up at Echo and jerking his chin towards the back of the ship, “I’ll hand out rations once we’ve all cleaned up from the mission. Any injuries I should know about?” this time he glanced around the whole group, one eyebrow raised.

Crosshair scoffed, “No, they all behaved this time around.”

Wrecker grinned proudly, stretching out his arms to show his unmarred front to them. Tech rolled his eyes, and pulled out his data pad to start poking at, “It’s not like we get injured on purpose,” he said, but didn’t bother to defend himself or the others any further than that.

Echo’s eyes widened, wondering what that meant and if injuries were so common that Hunter asked so casually. For a moment he was a little confused why Crosshair would be the one to so confidently decree that all was well, until Echo remembered his special skills. Was his eyesight really so good that he could pick up on any small injury on his teammates, or was he just watching them closely enough from above to know nobody got hurt? He would maybe ask later…No wait, he’d ask Tech later. He wasn’t sure he wanted to ask Crosshair anything yet.

“Just make sure the med kits fully stocked before we leave Kamino. That thing came in handy a few too many times lately,” Hunter grumbled and swung his chair around to get up, “Let’s pack up and get some grub going. Echo, I’ll show you where everything is at.”

He waved the other clone over to him and Echo found himself easily following the order. The others all moved around the ship to what looked like well-practiced tasks. Tech checking the ship controls and then following after Wrecker tapping on his pad. Once Wrecker started to file away the ammunitions, he could see Tech taking inventory marks on his pad along side him. Crosshair migrated towards the table, and began to disassemble his rifle carefully, and begin cleaning it.

Hunter led him towards the back, pointing out the general location of certain kits, stocks, and equipment as they went along the body of the ship. At the very back there were four bunks along the walls, two on each side.

“Top bunks are Tech’s and Crosshair’s. Wrecker’s is the mess here on the right, under Tech. And I’m on the left,” he said, and then a hand flew into his hair and he suddenly looked sheepish, “I may not have considered sleeping arrangements earlier when I offered for you to come with us, but I’m sure we can work something out. We’ve all bunked with each other at some point.”

Echo held his hands up in surrender, “No, no, it’s fine. I can just take one of the chairs for now.” The last thing he wanted to be right then was a bother, he was already asking a lot just by going with them in the first place.

The look Hunter leveled him with was reminiscent of Five’s, “Look, we all know you need some real rest to recover, and no one can manage that in a chair. No matter what Tech says,” he added with a glare over at the specialist who looked like he was just finishing up his inventory and headed towards them.

“Hunter is always rather adamant that everyone gets some rest after a mission. Best just to listen to him or he'll have Wrecker manhandle you into a bed not necessarily of your choosing,” Tech said as walked up to them, Wrecker close on his heels.

Hardly wanting to upset his new sergeant twenty minutes into joining, Echo already felt himself caving in only to start panicking over who he’d end up bunking with. Hunter must have picked up on his anxiety given how he took suddenly looked a bit hesitant as they weighted the small handful of choices.

“He can bunk with me!” Wrecker offered, and Echo felt his eyes widen as the large clone threw his body into the lower bunk, and it felt like the whole ship shook under him despite the gravity dampeners. While Echo was happy that Wrecker wasn’t treating him like glass, he didn’t fancy his chances at escaping that bed unscathed given there was a mere few inches left open for him. How Wrecker had managed to share bunks with the other Batcher’s before seemed physically impossible, but maybe he’d ask Tech that later too.

“Maybe another time, Wrecker. I’m thinking Echo needs a little more space,” Hunter said with a small teasing smile that made his brother chuckle and blush a bit. He shrugged it off and reached around until he pulled out a large stuffed tooka. The sight of the enormous hands cradling the toy so gently made Echo rethink that Wrecker had no sense of his own strength. Even so, as welcoming as Wrecker had been to Echo so far, he was still a little worried about making it out of that bed alive the next rotation.

Just then Crosshair walked towards the bunks, seemingly done cleaning his weapon for now, and passed by Hunter’s assessing gaze.

“No,” Crosshair said without even looking at the two. He hoisted himself up into his bunk without another word.

As much as Echo wanted to be offended, he found himself slightly relieved. He still wasn’t sure about Crosshair. That left only two more choices….

“Echo can share with me, we’ll be fine,” Tech said in a tone that broke no further argument, much like how he always spoke with an unshakable confidence. And he wasn’t wrong, Echo would be fine with it. Of all of them, Tech was the least intimidating, and not just because he visually wasn’t as threatening as his brothers. After Rex, Tech was the first friendly face that Echo saw during his rescue. He was the one who whispered soft and quiet reassurances as he unhooked Echo piece by piece from the stasis chamber, narrating what he was doing each step of the way so he didn’t startle the other clone. And then he was the one who carried Echo on his back out of that horrible room. Yes, of all of them, Tech was the best choice. He seemed to know it too.

“That’s settled then,” Hunter said and went to gather up some ration bars for all of them and some water. He tossed Wrecker and Crosshair their share and went to hand Echo his, only for them both to pause and stare down at his hands. Well, one hand and one scomp extension.

To Hunter’s credit he recovered quickly and stacked the bar and water together so they could easily be grabbed in one hand, something that Echo was grateful he didn’t draw any more attention to than that before handing Tech the last stack.

His task done, Hunter ducked down into his own bunk, on top of the covers without bothering to take off his boots or armor and started to eat his food.

That left Echo and Tech standing there in the middle, and Echo tried to imagine it wasn’t as awkward as it felt.

Tech twitched his lips into a sort of friendly smile, one that seemed almost unpracticed, but it eased Echo’s swirling thoughts and anxiety a bit and he found himself smiling back. With something equally unpracticed. They both took off most of their armor, unlike the others, and stowed them away in the under bins. It was possible to sleep in armor, Echo had done it enough times himself in the past, but it would be hard enough to sleep with another person in the bunk without clunky hard plastoid getting in the way.

“Uh, after you I guess?” Echo said, gesturing with his scomp arm. The sight of it in his own visual range was still startling to him, but Tech hardly seem bothered by it. Possibly because he was more familiar with wires and gears than he was other living beings. It almost made Echo feel better, thinking that Tech would be more comfortable with their new teammate just because of that. Actually, as he looked closer he spied several pieces of wire scrap and such in the folds on Tech’s blankets, so possibly he was more comfortable sleeping with technology than he thought.

Tech easily swung up onto his bunk and immediately scooted over to the far end up against the wall and lay on his back. He balanced his data pad on his chest and started to nibble at his ration bar. Echo glanced around him at the others who were all settling in, their eyes away from the last clone standing.

He sucked in a silent breath before he stepped up to the bunk, and placed his rations on the sheets. Once again he caught sight of one human hand and one…not. As much as his heart wanted to sink again at the sight, he instead gathered his stubbornness and wrapped himself in it like one of those cloaks General Kenobi and Skywalker favored, and he hauled himself up with the one hand and used the other just to keep his balance.

It was a very small feat, considering all the things he had accomplished in his life, but he felt a small thrill of victory as he somewhat gracefully swung into the bunk beside Tech, without jostling the other clone either.

He was worried it would be too quiet now, but then the sounds of the ship started to filter in. The engines burning behind them, the navigation screen blipping steadily, and the occasional hiss and hum of all the supporting systems around them. Then there was some soft conversation that started to pass between Hunter and Crosshair on the other side of the room, with occasional loud bursts as Wrecker piped in. Echo didn’t pay much attention to the words, letting them wash over him like water instead. It was…refreshing.

After a while he felt eyes on him, and he leaned back to see Tech eyeing his scomp arm with something akin to fascination. There was a glimmer in his eyes even behind the large goggles that shone out even as the lights on the ship dimmed.

At first Echo felt himself get defensive and a little annoyed at the attention, but the earnest look on Tech’s face stopped him short. The other clone looked a fair bit younger than a standard clone, and Echo had to wonder if he was the same age as the rest of his brother’s or if he was still a bit of a shiny in some ways. For a brief moment he had painful flash of memories of the last shinys he'd worked with and their fates. His armor was quite light compared to the others, but it looked like that was deliberate. There was no mistaking the open and almost innocent curiosity there, and Echo felt himself relax back down.

With a flourish he held his arm up and spun it twice, smirking as Tech dropped his data pad and half eaten ration bar to scramble to his knees and get closer. His hands hovered over Echo’s for a moment, and glanced up at him as if waiting for permission.

“I’m still getting used to it,” Echo admitted, nodding at Tech to go ahead.

Tech showed no hesitation after that, running his fingers almost reverently over the joints and connectors, “Like any prosthetic it will take time to adjust, but you seem to have a good handle on the mechanics of it. It’s the muscle memory of your hand that you’re struggling with,” he said softly, carefully moving Echo’s arm around to test the range of motion.

It was the first time that Echo had anyone really look at it since the rescue. It was functioning well enough that the medical droids at the base had paid no attention to it. The hand was long gone, and there was nothing further to do. It was strange having someone else touch it when Echo himself was still getting used to seeing it, but it wasn’t bad. It was…comforting even. It brought a warm feeling to the icy pits of his stomach to think that at least there was one person who still was willing to touch him so freely. So gently.

“It doesn’t hurt at all, correct?” Tech asked after a bit more exploring.

Echo shrugged, “Not really, just a tingling sensation every once in a while. Worse in my legs.”

Tech’s bright eyes drifted down to the two mentioned limbs and a small frown appeared on his face, “Not an unusual sensation in cases like yours, but I’d like to check the calibrations once we get back to Kamino. To make sure everything is functioning as it should, and to see if there are any improvements to be made,” the way he made it sound there were many improvements that he was already thinking of.

“You don’t have to bother, they work fine enough and I don’t want you to feel obligated to—”

“It’s hardly a bother. I’ve optimized the equipment of every person on this team, and nearly ever system on this ship. You will not receive anything less than the best,” Tech argued, pulling his hands away only to pick up his data pad again to start scanning, “Please, I would be a pleasure to do this for you, but only if you want it. I will leave it alone if you wish.”

Echo could tell that Tech was very willing and excited to work on them, which was nice and all, but it was the sentiment that he offered by giving the choice to Echo that made his insides unknot even further. He had no choice in what had happened to his body once the Techno Union got him. It was nice to know that Tech at least would give him a choice.

“Hmm, maybe tell me what you’d like to do and we’ll go from there,” he offered, thinking he wasn’t sure if he was ready for any more big changes yet, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure everything was up to spec first.

From the way that Tech’s whole face lit up he must have said the right thing, and Echo let himself ease further onto the bunk, laying back against the pillow and feeling his muscles go lax. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Crosshair across the way, his face was pinched and calculating, like he was trying to solve some sort of puzzle as he stared at Echo and then over at Tech, but at least he wasn’t angry. At least…Echo assumed he wasn’t angry. It was difficult to tell.

Tech was still sitting up and now tapping away reverently on his data pad, rations bar now completely forgotten in his lap. His face was lit up in a blue glow as the rest of the ship went dark, and Echo could hear Hunter and Wrecker settle in to sleep.

After only a few minutes the loud snores of Wrecker could be heard from below, but they fit in with the ship’s rumble well enough that it wasn’t much of a bother. Even Tech’s taps on his data pad were somehow familiar and calming already, like they belonged to part of a song. Echo felt himself begin to drift a bit more, lulled by the peace.

He was nearing sleep when he heard Crosshair’s voice filter into the steady rumble.

“Tech, put it away. You’ll have plenty of time to work on it when we get home, and I’m not carrying you to the barracks again,” he said, but it was softer than Echo had ever heard him speak before.

“Right, yes, sorry,” Tech muttered and the blue glow was suddenly gone and the sheets beside Echo began to shift as the younger clone started to lay down.

There wasn’t much room for two of them, so there was no avoiding at least a little bit of contact between the two of them as the settled down. Tech had his back up against the wall, facing Echo’s side, but he could still feel the warmth of the other all the way along his body. Oddly enough even where he didn’t even have limbs anymore.

It was the warmest he’d felt since coming out of that stasis chamber.

He was so preoccupied with the sudden thrill of feeling warm that he missed it as Tech almost instantly fell asleep next to him, goggles still on and everything. He only broke from his thoughts as Crosshair spoke up again.

“Careful, Reg. He’s a heat seeking missile in bed,” he said with what sounded like a smirk on his lips.

Echo wasn’t sure what they meant until a few moments later when he felt Tech inch in closer, still completely asleep, until he found himself with half a clone draped over him.

Somehow, Echo couldn’t bring himself to mind and he fell asleep soon after.

It was the first night he didn’t wake to a nightmare longer than he could remember.

Chapter Text

Kamino ended up not being as restful as Echo thought it was going to be. When Hunter had said they were headed home to re-stock and re-group, he had imagined that they would be focused on just that. Inventory, repairs, and maybe a even a check-in with the yet to be named entity that the Bad Batch reported to. As far as Echo knew, no captain, jedi or commander had been mentioned as directing them to their various missions. It was odd, but they must get their orders from someone.

Turns out resting was another aspect that Clone Force 99 did differently. Namely that they didn’t rest. They ran simulations. According to Hunter they’d done them thousands of times, and Echo didn’t think that he was exaggerating as he watched his new teammates fly flawlessly through simulation after simulation. He had thought he was impressed watching them work before, but that had been just a taste of what they were capable of together. 

The only hiccup they encountered was in incorporating Echo, which at first was mortifying…until it wasn’t.

He had expected sneers and snarls from Crosshair after the first time he blocked one of the sniper’s shots by accident, but instead his comms had only buzzed with his bored tone telling Echo to step two paces to the left. Of course Echo nearly tripped over his own two feet trying to obey, even further embarrassing himself because he just knew Crosshair had seen it. Still, the expected teasing didn't come, and Echo had to wonder if he wasn't even worthy of that yet.

And then when he had to be saved by Hunter pushing him out of the way of one of the droids that Wrecker whipped around, Echo had thought the giant clone would be put out, but instead he laughed it off with an apology and a suggestion to learn how to duck faster. He learned very quickly that the others automatically gave the bruiser a wide berth at all times, and the few times they had to come in close they would usually call out to Wrecker in name. "Look alive, Wrecker!", "Incoming", On your left!". Even further into their practice runs Tech had come up to him to say to him in hushed tones that Wrecker did not see very well out of his left eye, and he should be aware of approaching him from that angle. Once Echo had taken that to heart, he hadn't gotten in the way of any more flying droids. At least not in practice. The field was always another experience.

Echo was still horribly embarrassed and apologetic for actually tripping Tech mid run when he hadn’t realized the other clone was right behind him and had skidded to a halt trying to stay out of Crosshair’s line of fire again. Of all the team so far, Tech was still the one he’d bonded with the most and it made it even worse when Tech waved it off as nothing, despite Echo being almost certain there would be a nasty bruise on his knee the next day. He could practically feel Crosshair scowling behind him. 

Then he learned very quickly to listen to Hunter and his instructions very carefully after he veered from standard protocols the first time. Echo had been so confident he knew what he was doing during the reasonably familiar simulation he had done with his own squad back in the day, but he had forgotten in the heat of the moment that this was a different group he was with, all with different talents and apparently different tactics. He’d left Tech’s left flank open to fire because he was too busy trying to retreat to a safer location, rather than stand his ground and trust that Crosshair would cover for them.

“We don’t run things by the book, because the book wasn’t written for clones like us,” he had said easily, cutting Echo off from his stammered apologies, “We adjust the protocols to fit us, or we toss them into the dirt. It’ll only trip us up to try and fit into pants made in the wrong size.”

Echo had taken the advice to heart and threw himself fully into the simulations that they kept running through. There were still a lot of mistakes made, lines crossed, and confusing moments, but after what felt like ages, things began to run smoothly. Even though he was pretty sure it was just a week. Echo was beginning to see the seamless team dynamic he’d witnessed before, only this time he was actually apart of it. He knew without a doubt that they were getting better just by the way the others would react at the end of the simulation.

Wrecker would cheer loudly, only getting louder the better they all performed.

Crosshair’s face would become more and more neutral the better they got, losing the pinched look between his eyes as the days passed and they improved. Echo swore he saw Crosshair nod at him once in approval, but it could have also just been him checking his boot for dirt. Who knew?

He knew Tech was pleased when he smirked proudly to himself, and even sometimes shared that smirk with Echo.

And Hunter grew more and more at ease with them as time passed, shouting out less and less orders and Echo and the other’s adjusted to anticipate more of each other. By the last simulation after a little over a week, he smiled fully at them, making his half skull marked face brighter and more friendly that Echo thought was possible.

There were so many simulations packed into the days that he’d lost count and was wondering if he too would reach the thousands anytime soon. They wouldn't be there much more than a few days more though, because he knew that despite their squad still adjusting, the war was not patient enough to let them work out all the kinks before it called on the specialist team again.

It came one night when the team were sitting around the barracks after late meal call, and Echo by then had long since learned that meal times with the regs present rarely was peaceful. But at least this time he'd been able to eat his food this time before he had to chuck it at someone's head to defend Hunter's right flank from a stray bowl. And he'd even managed half a cup of his juice before he'd lobbed it over to Crosshair to slingshot it into a reg's face. 

At the very least, their lively meals meant that they were all decently exhausted when they returned to their barracks and were more than happy to spend the rest of the night quietly in their darkened room. The messy, and frankly rather dim, room was actually a rather pleasant break from all the white around the city. 

Once again Echo found himself without a standard place to call his own since the room assigned to the Batch was clearly meant for only four occupants. But they were all making it work well enough. Wrecker had set up a hammock down by Tech’s bed that he ended up using most of the time. The few nights he didn’t were usually spent “accidentally” falling asleep in Tech’s bed after chatting with him late into the evening about future additions or updates to his cybernetics. Sometimes even just asking Tech what the diagrams on his bunk wall were for. Or even just listening to him ramble about some red plant on some distant planet, that did some miraculous thing. Really Echo had just not wanted to sleep with his brain screaming a bit too loudly, but Tech didn’t seem to mind the conversations. Even the one-sided ones when Echo dozed next to him. 

Part of Echo wondered if Tech knew what Echo was really doing, but he never let on.

It was a bit strange to think a room had been made for just four clones, when in all other areas of city and in the other legions the barracks were designed to fit dozens of clones. He wasn’t going to complain though. Privacy was never something Echo considered until he felt like he had something to hide. Maybe someday he wouldn’t feel as exposed and raw about his cybernetic enhancements, but for now he was content with the smaller, darker room that let him withdraw when needed.

At least at the moment the screams in the back of Echo’s mind were quiet and he felt safe sitting at the table in the center of the room painting his armor. Next to him Tech was fiddling away up to his elbows in the wired guts of some power box, muttering under his breath about poor soldering. Hunter and Crosshair were playing some sort of card game, and Wrecker was making himself busy by lifting some dumbbells on his bed. It was peaceful among them, and as much as Echo missed the noises his old brothers used to make, he was finding he enjoyed the quiet moments with the Batch almost as much.

It was part of why Echo was able to paint over the white of his new armor without feeling his heart break again. He was by no means a shiny anymore, even though this armor was new. He was different now, and it was almost therapeutic in some ways to show that change in what he would be wearing as his second skin going forward. His life had taken a dark turn, a shadow over what he was once. But it wasn’t all bad. Even with darker armor, it just helped him feel like he belonged with this team even more.

They all seemed to be proud of their differences, of what made them stand out. It would have been easy for them to keep their armor white like the other thousands of clones, and with their helmets on they would be able to blend in for the most part, well perhaps not in Wrecker’s case, but the others could have passed as smaller, or leaner clones if they hid away in their armor.

But instead they had marked themselves completely as something else.

Tech had even modified his armor to suit him and his needs, the end result making everything from his helmet down to his kneepads unique, despite the coloring of his suit leaning more towards the traditional.

So, Echo felt an almost cathartic feeling overwhelm him as he marked up new set, making something almost unrecognizable before him. He just hoped the paint would dry before whatever simulation Hunter had planned for them in the morning. He was already sore just thinking about it, and he couldn’t wait.

He had just finished up the last layer of red markings on his helmet when Hunter’s comm buzzed, the sound making everyone in the room pause and look up as the sergeant calmly stood up and walked away to answer.

Tech blinked owlishly through his goggles as he watched Hunter, then he seemed to snap to attention and begin packing away his things seemingly out of the blue.

“Something wrong?” Echo asked him, he’d never seen Tech pause so suddenly in the middle of a project without either Hunter ordering him to, or Crosshair physically dragging him away.

“We’ve got a mission,” he replied crisply, just as Hunter turned back to the group and announced the same thing.

“Looks like we’ve got our next assignment, boys. We’re going to be headed to Kijimi, so pack some extra blankets, you’ll be wanting them,” he said smoothly, not at all bothered when Wrecker groaned loudly.

The large clone sulked as he put down his weights, “Isn’t that the place with all the mountains?”

Tech nearly jumped half a foot in the air as he scurried over to Wrecker in excitement, “It is! It is also known for it for its frigid climate and snow drifts. It’s long been known as a hot spot for Spice runners, but during the war there have been theories that the same trafficking routes have been used by the Separatists to smuggle ammunitions to potential insurgents that may side with them,” he was already tapping away at something on his data pad, his eyes alight with his excitement, “I’ve been hoping to go to a snow-covered planet for a while. I wanted to document the varying snowflake formations and see if I can discern mathematically the conditions that prompted it to crystalize in that particular matrix pattern.”

As much as Echo wanted to share the same sort of enthusiasm as Tech, he was siding more with Wrecker and was less than thrilled to hear they were headed somewhere cold. Just when he was starting to feel warm again. Although he suspected Wrecker’s reluctance had more to do with his fear of heights than getting cold. But it was a mission, and Echo had a feeling the group never turned one down.

He made sure to grab an extra blanket that night and stuffed it into his pack.

Hunter made sure each of his boys were in bed at a reasonable time that night, ignoring Crosshair’s grumbling that he wasn’t a child and Tech’s insistence that he only needed ten more minutes to finish up his reading. At least Wrecker and Echo didn’t put up a fight when he called for lights out, but still Hunter wondered if their little group actually matured as quickly as regular clones did, or if he was actually dealing with a bunch of children in men’s bodies.

Crosshair had been right when he said they didn’t work with regs much, and the more times that they did the more Hunter began to wonder just how different their mutations made them from the standard clones. Tech probably could write several research papers on the genetics that set them apart, but Hunter didn’t really have the patience to read, let alone try to understand what all that scientific jargon really meant. He trusted what he could see, what he could sense. And he knew there was more to him and his boys than a few misplaced genes.

Having Echo with them the last week had made him rethink that though, seeing how well the altered reg fit in with them. Of course, it had been a bit rocky at first, but that was to be expected. The Batch was set in their ways for a while before Echo came and changed the balance, but once they had found their equilibrium again it felt natural to have the reg at their side. He had added a fresh perspective and an experience that none of them could individually match. Echo had been in this longer than any of them, and it showed in the way he moved with practiced precision, despite his new appendages. They could all stand to learn something from him. But perhaps not regulations. They really didn't need to know about those. Even Tech wasn't interested in listening, the clone who lit up at the idea of looking at snowflakes. Maybe Echo didn't know just how much he had to offer just yet, but he'd get comfortable enough in time. They all needed time to adjust when they joined into a new team after all. 

As Hunter fell into his own bunk he smiled as he thought about how him and his boys had come together years ago. Tech had been shy and withdrawn then, clinging to Crosshair’s tunic like a shield while his brother had scowled so deeply for such a young face. Hunter and Wrecker had already found each other long before, and had been surprised there were more of them that survived decanting, and were easily able to look past the personality quirks if it meant having someone else like them around. They’d happily taken the two younger clones under their wing, and started to think of starting a squad of just the four of them. Four freaks taking on the galaxy together.

However, the only thing that came naturally to the four of them was pure and unadulterated chaos. They’d reined it in under the ever-looming threat of decommissioning, and when they had found their stride it had truly been something spectacular to see. They could all see the awe and surprise in the eyes of the normally stoic Kaminoans.

To this day Hunter can’t help but feel smug at proving them and their stupid little tests wrong. And once again they were going to prove all the skeptics wrong and Echo would help the team reach an even higher level than ever before.

They’d show them.

They always did.

Chapter Text

“So, what exactly does this mission entail?” Echo asked the next morning as they finally took off in the Marauder. He’d managed to get a decent amount of sleep in surprisingly, putting him in a slightly better mood despite his growing anxiety on heading out on their first official mission as a team. He’d chosen to sit next to Tech again as they had all boarded, not that he was sure why. Echo was well aware he was running the risk of the younger clone going into another tangent about snowflake formations, but he had some patience to spare that morning. Good mood for once and all that.

Tech was in the pilot’s chair and perked up at Echo’s question, glancing over at Hunter who was off by the station in the center of the ship. Their leader seemed to be frowning again as he stared up at whatever readings he was looking at on the screens there. Behind him Crosshair was standing with his arms crossed and a scowl etched on his sharp features once again, but since that seemed to be its resting state, he couldn’t be sure it had anything to do with the reason Hunter looked grumpy.

Finally, Hunter sat back with a gusty sigh, and pinched the bridge of his nose, “From the looks of it nobody quite knows what it entails, which is why we’ve been chosen to go in.”

Tech’s brows rose above the ridge of his goggles, “Well, that sounds rather ominous.”

“It is,” Hunter agreed and shot up to his feet to begin pacing. As if anticipating the movement, Crosshair had already drifted over to a wall to lean against, taking up the empty space next to Wrecker as he lifted Gonky up and down.

“So, there’s no mission parameters? What about a target? Stars, is there even an objective?” Echo asked, shocked and mildly alarmed.

Hunter paused his pacing for just long enough to shrug and start up again, “I suppose it can be classified as a recon mission, but even that may be too vague for what it is. It has to do with the spice runner routes that Tech mentioned yesterday. There is some suspicion that those routes are being used by the Seppies to move around weapons and such, but not only that, they’re thinking that their little hiding places on the planet are being stocked as armories, maybe even bases.”

Tech hummed thoughtfully, “Whether or not those locations are being used for Separatists and their dealings, we stand a high possibility of encountering someone in those holds. Either guarding spice or guarding weapons. Neither of which are bound to be peaceful exchanges. It makes sense that they would want to send us since we should be capable of handling either scenario.”

“Yeah, spice runners can be pretty tough when they want to be,” Wrecker piped up, surprising Echo by sounding like they had first hand knowledge of such things.

Tech nodded along, “Correct, and the Spice runners of Kijimi are some of the oldest, and therefore most well established rings out there. They are quite dangerous and well connected.”

“And I’m guessing we don’t know if the runners and Seppies have made friends, or if they’ve been wiping out the runners and taking their trade routes for themselves,” Crosshair said around another toothpick. Honestly, where did he get those things from, Echo had to wonder. They way he kept tossing them at people he got annoyed at you think he would have run out ages ago. Nasty toothpick habit aside, he had a point.

“Then what’s the plan then? It sounds like they just want us to fly in and start poking our heads into caves,” Echo knew he sounded annoyed, but it sounded far too broad a goal for just the five of them to handle alone.

The group all glanced up at Hunter who still was frowning and pacing up and down the ship. They still had quite a few hours before they arrived at the planet, but there was already a growing pressure in the cabin as more of the details, or lack thereof, became apparent.

Eventually Tech was the one to speak up, clearing his throat to break the silence first, “Perhaps we can approach it a bit more holistically than that,” he offered more diplomatically than Echo had thought him capable of, “There are natives on the planet, ones who may be able to shed some light on recent activities they’ve noted. And we can run heat signature scans in the mountains for any concentrated areas that may indicate possible hideouts. There are also documented locations of previously known hot spots for runners, most are abandoned after being discovered, but those may have been since reinhabited by Separatists. We can scan those areas as well. At least it will…ahem,” he pushed his goggles up his nose and glanced over at Echo with a half-smile, “narrow down the amount of caves we need to poke our heads into.”

Hunter’s frown loosened only a bit at that, “It’s a start at least. After that we’ll have to tread carefully. We don’t want to stir up a whole planet like kicking an active hive. These runners are well connected, and will know to warn the others right away if something is up. Same goes for the Seppies, especially if they’re all buddies.”

“So, we do a risk assessment. That’s standard protocol,” Echo pointed out easily, but the whole cabin paused and looked over at him with wide and very confused eyes.

Tech tilted his head to the side, “Risk assessment?”

“What’s that,” Wrecker asked, rubbing the top of his head.

Echo gaped at all of them, “Wait, you all don’t do risk assessments before running a mission? To weight the benefits against possible repercussions? Civilian and property casualties? Nothing?”

Wrecker blinked once, “Huh?” and he turned to his other brothers to see if maybe he was the only one still lost.

“Um, risk assessment…Tech?” Hunter asked, making the engineer startle in his chair a bit as he scrambled for an answer.

“I mean…it’ll be risky? Are you looking for a statistical probability of success?” he offered, trying to sound helpful.

Crosshair hissed, and pushed off from the wall to walk over to Echo, “We could all die, there’s your risk assessment,” he sneered, “Why, you scared, reg?”

Echo frowned up at the taller clone, “No, it’s just common sense to make sure the plan isn’t going to cause more damage or loss than necessary. Don’t we need to review all potential repercussions?”

“Ah, well Echo, for normal mission protocols that would make sense. For us, however, we don’t run normal missions by any means,” Tech added, with a hint of sympathy that as much as Echo wanted to appreciate, it just made him even more upset.

Hunter seemed to pick up on it at least, and raised his hand to cut off Tech and turning to face Echo, “What Tech means is, we only get called in when they no longer care about the repercussions, or the risks. They don’t use us unless it’s for a desperate, highly dangerous, or hopeless cause. They probably did do one of your risk assessments already, and thought we were the only real chance they had.”

Echo supposed that made sense. Actually, it made a lot of sense. Why they never seemed to work with regs despite the whole war being fought with clones. Why they seemed to not have any singular entity to report to. And why they had absolutely no regard for any sort of military protocol as far as Echo had seen.

The Batch was called in only when no other squad, legion or platoon were willing to do the seemingly impossible job themselves. Of course, they wouldn’t work with regs, because regs had already been overlooked as being capable of completing the mission. They couldn’t report to one captain or general because they would never know where they may be needed. And how could they possibly rely on protocols for missions that protocol would dictate are too risky to even attempt?

“What made this mission so daunting then that no other clones could handle it then?” Echo asked the room at large.

Tech shrugged again, “Many factors, I would assume. Too much ground work to be completed efficiently. Unfavorable and possibly deadly climate conditions. The lack of any actual intel on active locations. The potential to encounter with heavily armed individuals. The fact that we could possibly send the entire spice runner network up in arms against the Republic with one wrong move…” he ticked off each one on his fingers, sounding far too casual about the growing list of what would make any seasoned trooper balk.

“Like I said,” Crosshair cut in with a roll of his eyes, “We could all die. That good enough for you?”

Echo sighed and sat back heavily in his chair, “Yeah, I’m all set now.”

They broke atmosphere hours later, descending down onto Kijimi faster than what was strictly comfortable, but there wasn’t much Tech could do given the storm they were headed into.

“It’s not ideal for landing, but it will prevent anyone from seeing us flying in. Should help with the stealth part of the mission at least,” he told them, his calm voice belaying the white knuckled grip he had on the steering yoke. Echo knew how to pilot a basic ship, but he did not envy Tech having to wrestle this one through the wind and nearly whited out conditions. If it weren’t for the nav-computer by his elbow blinking green, he would have already assumed they were well on their way to crashing into the side of a mountain. They may not be able to see them now, but he knew from when they first broke atmo that there were thousands of peaks that Tech was having to weave them through.

He could tell the others were on edge too, but instead of strapping in or ducking for cover, they were hovering close around Tech. Crosshair especially was lingering directly at the engineers’ side, occasionally dropping onto Tech’s shoulder to squeeze it.

Seeing the physical support from the normally harsh and aloof sniper was enough to distract Echo from his own inner panic for a bit as he wondered what kind of hidden depths there were to the team he was still trying to get to know.

“Where are you setting us down?” Hunter asked quietly, probably so he didn’t startle Tech and break him from his concentration.

Tech seemed to ignore him at first, but after taking a sharp right turn he spared once glance up at their leader, “I’m headed for a small clearing on the other side of a frozen lake. There are a lot of large rock formations that should block us from view of anyone in the village across the ice. It also puts us on the edge of the mountain range that are highly suspected to hold several hideouts.”

Hunter nodded, looking pleased finally. It was a good place to put down, even to Echo’s assessment. They’d be able to talk to the locals about any suspicious people or behaviors, and they would be able to start scanning the mountains for signs of lifeforms. Not to mention being hidden away from prying eyes.

It felt like an age longer, but finally Tech began to hit the controls to lower the landing gear and he could hear the engines begin to smother themselves as they finally touched down.

Wrecker walked over to the window, squinting against the glass, “I can’t see anything,” he grumbled loudly.

He wasn’t wrong. As far as Echo could see, there was still nothing but shadows and snow as the wind continued to howl through the mountains around them. It looked eerie to him, foreboding even. Of course he’d seen snow before, but never so violently. Before it had been soft and delicate, pretty even. Now it looked more like ice shards shattering down from a black sky. He shuddered to think of how cold it must be out there.

“That would be due to the storm and the fact that, despite it being late afternoon here, the sun only rises for a few hours in the morning before going dark again,” Tech offered.

“Is it even possible for us to go outside when its like this?” Echo asked the other clone, but this time he kept his voice low enough for just the two of them. No need to accidentally set Crosshair off again thinking he was scared. He wasn’t scared. He just wasn’t stupid either.

Tech turned his head to look out the window as well, and even behind his lenses Echo could see some hesitance there, “It would be inadvisable to attempt without the right gear, but even then, the wind is quite strong,” he tapped away at a nearby nav-screen and a weather radar popped up. Usually, the screen was a clear black with occasional green spots where normal clouds would drift through. This time though it looked like someone had thrown several colorful fruits at it. The array of splotches across the screen was enough to even make Crosshair’s eyebrows raise.

“Hmmm, there appears to be an upcoming break in the storm two hours from now. It should allow enough time to visit the village or to begin scanning,” he said, pointing to one small break in the clouds at the corner of the screen. Hunter suddenly appeared between them, eyeing the map with a wince.

“Two hours to prep then, but we’re going to have to split up if we want to do this efficiently. I’ll head to town with Wrecker to question the locals. Echo, you and Crosshair will stay here with Tech to start scanning the area. Stay out of sight,” he said and then he turned sharply towards the back to begin gearing up.

Chapter Text

It had only been about an hour since Hunter and Wrecker had set out, but Echo was already beginning to feel his remaining skin itch with impatience as he watched the radar screen and all its alarming colors cross the screen. As anxious as the storm watch was making him feel, it was better than nothing.

Tech was running countless scans, only about half of which Echo understood, and seemed fully engrossed in that task. It was the least he could do at the moment to not feel useless. Crosshair seemed to be keeping busy in his own way, not that he quite understood it.

The sniper was drifting back and forth between hovering over Tech’s work, or stepping off of the ship to scout the area around them. It seemed pointless to Echo, not to mention the blast of cold air that would stream in each time he lowered the ramp, but he knew better than to call the other clone out on it. Not yet anyway. If he wanted to freeze his ass off outside then that was his prerogative.

He sighed as the screen flickered again, snarling his lips at the static that he felt in his ears at the same time. It had been doing that since they landed, and even his legs were getting tingly, like his real ones had done when they fell asleep.

“Is the interference bothering you?” Tech asked him suddenly.

Echo turned to see his large golden eyes peering over at him curiously. Beyond Tech’s hands he could see the scans still running, but with no telltale blips appearing yet.

“Only a little,” he admitted.

Tech’s eyes softened a bit, “I was worried about that, but it shouldn’t become anything more than a faint buzzing in your head or limbs. Annoying, but not threatening. These mountains are comprised of many special minerals and ores, some of which give off their own electromagnetic fields. It’s what makes them perfect for spice runners since it helps them hide from the most common methods of tracking.”

“Their own little staticky cloak, I guess,” Echo chuckled, but there was little humor in it. Still, it made Tech smirk a bit, which he took as a victory.

“Indeed. It will make locating any hideouts difficult, and will cause some electronic matter to fluctuate slightly. I’ve checked out comms, and while they are a little muffled, they will still function well enough across the lake. Once we head into the mountains though, we may begin to get cut off. And your cybernetics won’t be the only other thing interfered with,” he added.

“Yeah, the radar has been cutting in and out a bit.”

“Well, yes, that too. I was referring to Hunter though. Since he can detect electromagnetic fields, these mountains will be distracting at best, debilitating at worse.”

Echo’s eyes widened in alarm, “Will he be alright?”

“Of course. He can dampen his senses if necessary to avoid anything that would cause distress. It just means his skills won’t be available to help us hunt down any Separatists in these mountains,” once again he sounded detached and calm, but Echo had spent just enough time with Tech now to pick up on his less noticeable tells. Like the way his gaze kept flickering outside to where they could make out Crosshair’s shadow circling the ship again, or how his leg would bounce when he wasn’t distracted by his scans.

Right now, the giveaway was in the nervous tapping of his fingers on the edges of his data pad.

“Is there more too it than that?” Echo pushed gently.

Tech seemed to hesitate for a moment, some intricate debate stirring through that brilliant mind of his as he thought something over only to finally come to some sort of decision mere moments later. He turned his chair to face Echo head on, “I thought perhaps you’d make your own observations as you settled in with us, but it may be prudent to at least keep you informed of some aspects to our dynamics…seeing as you are apart of them now. Something that, while we are all still adjusting too it, is undoubtedly a good thing.”

“Uh, right. Thanks?”

“Of course. So, while Hunter’s senses getting disrupted isn’t necessarily a disaster to the mission, it will put him on edge. Crosshair has no doubt noted the interference as well, going off of how frequently he’s been scouting the area and checking the scanners over our shoulders. At this point he doesn’t seem to trust the proximity alerts to keep us safe in here, which honestly may be smart of him,” Tech paused there and he seemed to struggle to maintain steady eye contact for a moment, “I know it may not be obvious to anyone new, but Hunter and Crosshair are…very protective of our squad.”

Echo sat back a bit surprised, “Well, Hunter I can see that easily. But Crosshair…” well, Echo probably wasn’t being totally fair. As standoff-ish as the sniper seemed, he had still shown himself as very dependable keeping watch over them all back on Skako, and Anaxes and in the simulations. Maybe Echo had just thought it was in part because Crosshair was just good at his job, but maybe it was a bit more than that.

Tech was nodding again, looking a little relieved now that he’d started talking, “Hunter often uses his senses to keep track of where we each are, in part for combat reasons, but also as a means of comfort in a way.  He may be struggling to sense us even now. Hopefully having Wrecker with him will be enough. Wrecker is the best of us at keeping the mood light.”

“Right, and what about Crosshair?” Echo asked as Tech turned back to his screens.

“Hmm? What about him?” Tech asked, already half distracted.

“Is he going to be okay?”

Tech’s head whipped around back to Echo his eyes widened in surprise for a moment before his face settled into a soft smile, “As long as we stick close and don’t do anything that falls into his category of ‘stupid’, then he will be just fine. He’s already taking care of things his way by scouting the area for threats.”

And with that Tech turned back his full attention to his scanners, leaving Echo with a lot more things to think about than he already had going on in his head. The picture he had in his head of each of his new teammates was shifting once again as he learned even more about the unique members more personally.

Hunter was a softie under all the smokiness and gruff, and cared deeply for his team. A respectable trait in a person and a leader, and reminded Echo of Rex in some ways.

He was still learning about Wrecker, but he was getting the idea that the giant was the most emotionally stable of all of them and it helped balance the rest of the crew.

Tech was more emotionally saavy then he would ever have given him credit for, but there was some hidden vulnerability there underneath all the factoids and bravado. The others must have all known about it already given how his teammates hovered around him. Maybe it was just because Tech still had the excitement and bright curiosity of a child? Echo certainly already thought of him as a younger brother and that only made it seem more pronounced. He can’t imagine how the others felt about him after all being together so long.

And then there was Crosshair. Echo still didn’t know what to make of him, but at least he felt he could trust the other with his life. It made dealing his with personality quirks a little easier to see how he treated the others though, and Echo just had to wonder if he’d ever be on the receiving end of that kind of hidden protective nature. It was fascinating to watch him though. A sharp and dangerous weapon doing small acts of kindness when he thought no one was watching. Made him think of Crosshair like using a vibroblade to mix cookie batter. Domestically intimidating and vaguely threatening.

Echo didn’t know quite where he fit in just yet, but Tech sharing that little bit of insight made him feel a bit more included. It also made him a little less annoyed a few minutes later when the ramp opened again and yet another frigid gust of wind came in, followed by Crosshair.

“Kriff, that’s cold,” Echo grumbled, turning to glare at the flurries that flew in with the wind.

Crosshair just shrugged it off, “Try standing outside for a while and see how it feels then.” He raised his hand to his head to brush off the flurries that were caught there, but was stopped short be Tech launching out of his chair with a distressed cry.

“No!” he said as he sprinted over to his brother and grabbed his hand, “Wait, I want to see if I can catch some holos before they melt.” Then he gripped the front of the snipers’ armor and yanked him down a few inches so he could peer at the scant dusting in the gray hair.

Once again, Crosshair surprised Echo by not pushing Tech’s groping hands away and instead merely sighed heavily and bent his neck down so his shorter brother could get better access. His patience was prickly at best, but he didn’t do anything more than some grumbling under his breath as his head was manhandled in different directions as Tech frantically tried to catch some images.

“Your hair doesn’t quite help with contrast, but at least I can make out the general structural aspects and deviations,” he said, finally pulling away when the last of them finally melted off of Crosshair’s head, “I should be able to work with these.”

“I’m so happy for you,” he hissed sarcastically, but it made Echo smile fondly, surprising himself.

“See anything of note out there?” he asked after Crosshair had warmed up a bit. He dried off his hair and rifle first, and then began his hovering around the cockpit again, eyeing the two of them and the screen displays all over the panels.

The sniper’s face pinched and he shook his head, “Just snow and ice. Not even animal tracks.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

Crosshair only grunted.

It wasn’t quite the response he had been hoping for, but Tech took that awkward pause as a chance to chime in and begin downloading the last half hour of data for Crosshair. His chatter filled the cabin for a while longer, long enough for Crosshair to finally sit down in one of the other chairs and sit back with his eyes closed.

He obviously wasn’t sleeping. How could anyone manage that with Tech still rambling on about the sources of the interference and its uses for the Spice runners? He did look relaxed though, his forehead almost completely smoothed out from its perpetual frown. It was almost like the sounds were soothing to him even.

Eventually Echo looked away and turned back to the radar map, knowing that if he stared too long the sniper might wake up and snarl at him again. He’d enjoy the peace while it lasted.

Looking back at the radar screen his eyes widened again at the far edge of the map where a huge bright blotch was creeping into sight. He’d never even seen some of those colors before and he had to check the reference key to see what they even meant.

It did not look good.

“Tech, you need to take a look at this,” he said and heard two bodies move in beside him.

Tech seemed to have little regard for personal space and was practically sitting in Echo’s lap as he hummed thoughtfully and took in the image. At least Crosshair was a few paces to his left as he peered down too, roused by Echo’s alarm.

“Well, that’s not good,” Tech said at last, and a deep unease began to pool in Echo’s gut.

“It’s just another storm coming in, isn’t it?” Crosshair asked.

“Technically yes, it’s just another storm. What makes this one somewhat more concerning is its size and severity. If we thought that one we flew into was bad, this one is practically cataclysmic. It could have serious repercussions for the mission.”

Echo rolled his eyes, “Now he cares about repercussions,” he grumbled.

Tech continued like he hadn’t heard anything, “We should be fine within the ship, and the town has been here for generations and should know how to handle events such as this. But if our comms are already on the fritz from the interference, this will potentially cut them completely. Not to mention it’ll be nearly impossible to scan for anything in the mountains remotely.”

“And how long do we have before it gets here?” Echo asked, but he already knew he wouldn’t like the answer.

“Half a day it looks like,” Tech replied promptly, making Echo groan internally.

“Well, kark,” Crosshair said and popped another toothpick in his teeth and casually walked away.

The town looked normal enough as they finally reached the edges of it. There were the familiar sounds of motors running, children playing, and soft conversations between the townsfolk. He could smell food cooking, and wood fires, and the pine from the nearby tree line. It seemed a peaceful place for the most part.

If it wasn’t for the deep sense of anxiety that permeated through the very streets.

It was completely normal to be wary of strangers in a small town like this, but going off of the sharp and suspicious eyes the adults were sending their way, they had a lot of reason to be as wary as they were.

Even Wrecker was picking up on it going off of the way he hunched his shoulders in and ducked his head, trying to appear even a little bit smaller than his normally daunting size. Their cloaks did a decent job of hiding their armor, but there was no hiding Wrecker’s bulk.

Still, Hunter was glad to have him there. They’d only gotten halfway to the town when his sense of the others began to waver and he realized that he may not be able to keep track of all of them once they crossed the lake. It wasn’t the first time it had happened. They’d been on plenty of planets with increased interference before, and had gotten through just fine in the end. But the small niggling sense of worry was always still there until him and his boys were all back together. This time was no different. And at least he had Wrecker there. One out of four was better than nothing, and Wrecker was a good distraction from his worries.

“They don’t seem very friendly, do they?” Wrecker asked, more subdued than he usually was.

Hunter grunted and watched as a mother pulled her two children into the house after spotting them coming down the road, “Maybe they’d be more friendly if there weren’t so terrified of strangers,” he said in a low tone that wouldn’t carry over the snow drifts.

It was strange to see. Even for its tumultuous climate, the planet was actually decently populated both before and after it had become a nest for Spice trafficking. Thanks to Tech’s info dump during the long flight, they knew that these towns saw a lot of increased trade among the mining towns that lay scattered among the mountains, like this one. These people should have been used to dealing with new faces coming in and out of their town by now. Or, some new faces gave them all reason to act this way to him and Wrecker. 

Hunter wanted to talk to them even more now. He would like to know what would have made them all this way, but even more importantly, he knew that no one would know the surrounding mountains better than the miners who worked in them.

There were a few shops and food nooks scattered around between homes, along with what you’d normally see in any town. Medical clinic, a repair shop, trade booths…and then he spied a sign up ahead that made him grin slyly as he got an idea.

“So, Wrecker, we need to talk to some locals to gather intel, right? What kind of establishment can we go to that should have all the information we could ever need?” he asked Wrecker, elbowing him in the side playfully.

Wrecker rubbed his head thinking, “Uh, the archive library maybe? But Tech said we aren’t supposed to talk in there.”

Hunter laughed and shook his head, “Perhaps not, but I think we’ll find more up to date intel at the local bar over there,” he said jerking his thumb over his shoulder to where two drunk men came flopping out of the door.

Wrecker glanced over and let out a loud whoop as he punched the air, “Aw yeah! That’s what I’m talking about,” he said and began to plow his way over through the fresh snow, Hunter following on his heels until a chirp from his left vambrace stopped him in his tracks.

“What do you have for me, Tech?” he asked, lowering his voice.

Tech’s voice came out staticky and broken over the interference, but it eased Hunter’s anxiety a bit to hear from him at least.

“Giving you a **ads up. There’s a storm com*** in fast. Should arrive in next ten to twelve hou**. After that it will be very dangerous to tra*** on foot. May lose comm signal comp***y. Scan**g is getting **fficult, but not impossible yet.”

It was a bit hard to understand, but Hunter got the gist of it well enough that any relief he’d just felt at hearing from Tech had evaporated away. There was nothing he could do about a storm though, it was just one of those things that they would have to adjust for, but they still had a mission to complete. Snow shouldn’t prevent them from completing it.

He sighed and lifted his arm up, “Acknowledged. Do what you can to narrow down locations and keep an eye on the storm. Wrecker and I will see what we can do here. Check in every hour going forward. Got it?”

“Got it, **rge.”

Heading into the bar didn’t seem much fun anymore, now that they were racing against time, but he made himself focus back on the present. The boys would be fine back at the ship, storm or not. They still had a job to do.

Chapter Text

Hunter was at least pleased to see his gut had been right about the townspeople congregating in the bar. There were a mix of beings inside, miners, merchants, cargo pilots and the like. You could tell they were all regulars of the town by the easy way they carried themselves between the crowded chairs and tables, offering half hearted smiles to each other as they passed…and the way they all stared at him and Wrecker suspiciously as they made their way inside.

It had been numbingly cold outside, but inside there was a comforting warm that sunk into their bones despite the chilly welcome. Still, no one had drawn weapons on them yet, so that was actually a bit of an improvement from most of the places they ended up in. At least the two of them were used to being stared at like this, like they didn’t belong. Hardly a new experience for them and Hunter was easily able to brush it off as he strode inside and walked up to the bar.

At first, he’d actually been thinking of bringing Echo along to the village, seeing as how he appeared to have a bit more social skills than Tech, and especially Crosshair when it came to talking to the locals. Now though he was glad he’d chosen Wrecker since he could travel through snow more easily. His brother was as used to the unfriendly attention as Hunter was after all. Echo though, he was still adjusting to people looking at him differently, and he may not have seen the locals’ attention for what it was. It probably would have had nothing to do with his cybernetics, and more to do with the fact he was a stranger, but Echo may not have seen it that way. Not yet anyway. He just needed time, and oddly enough Tech seemed to be bringing their newest brother around to accepting his new self. Hunter had not seen that one coming, but he was glad for it. Tech could always use anther friend and Echo would be a good ori’vod to him, Hunter could already tell in the way the reg spent time with him.

Just as long as Crosshair didn’t start getting territorial over their little brother, they’d all be fine, Hunter thought to himself with a smirk.

The boosodian behind the bar watched them intently as they walked over and took a stool each, but with his many eyes it was difficult for Hunter to discern any expression beyond curiosity perhaps in the tilt of his head. Calmly he stepped up to them and blinked half of his eyes as he glanced between the two.

“What will you have, strangers?” he asked.

“Um, anything hot to drink back there? I’m freezin’!” Wrecker asked, chuckling and smiling brightly. His friendly demeanor actually seemed to put some of the patrons at ease.

The barkeep nodded, “I’ve got the perfect thing. And for you?” he asked Hunter.

“Uh, same,” Hunter said and tried to casually glance around the bar again. He could pick out the miners easily enough from the ore smell that clung to all their skin, and the heavy shoulders build for hammering against stone. They seemed to be the most suspicious of any of the others, peering with squinted eyes over the rims of their cups.

He didn’t get to see much more before two steaming cups were placed before them. Like always, Wrecker knew not to drink it right away when they were on a mission, instead waiting for Hunter to check it out first. Hunter drew in a quick breath, scenting spices and a mulled fruit cider of some kind. There was no other kind of unfamiliar tang or bitterness that would signify poison of any kind, so he took a careful sip, and only then did Wrecker follow suit. The boys all knew to wait when it came to eating or drinking anything unknown, something Hunter was glad that they humored him with. Couldn’t be too careful sometimes. They risked their lives enough to go down from a simple drink.

“Do you two have business in these parts?” the barkeep asked them after the chatter around the bar began to pick up again. His voice was calm and level, but Hunter could pick up the suspicion there.

“Just making a quick stop in town and then heading out again,” Hunter replied evasively.

The barkeep grunted, “Best keep it a quick stop. There’s another storm rolling in tonight, a bad one even for us,” he warned. It sounded like it could be friendly advice, but Hunter knew it to be a stronger suggestion for the two of them to move out fast because no one wanted them here.

Wrecker was picking up on the vibe as well from the way his grin almost faltered at the not-so-subtle hint for them to leave.

“We’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Hunter said politely and turned his attention back to the people around them. They nursed their drinks slowly together, trying their best to appear harmless and just like two travelers looking for some nourishment, but the suspicion never seemed to waver despite them just…sitting there.

Hunter sighed heavily, at least the drink was good.

“Have you finished the cross check on the old maps yet?” Crosshair asked lazily from across the room. He’d taken up pacing again in the last thirty minutes, and while it hardly bothered Tech, he could tell that Echo was starting to get a little annoyed again. Understandable, given that Crosshair was more than capable of walking silently, but he was choosing to let his boots tap rhythmically along the metal floor. It was just his brother’s special way of entertaining himself by seeing how long it would take for Echo to snap. Tech himself had been on the receiving end of this game many times before and had long since learned how to ignore it.

“Just about to get the last readings in on the northern quadrant. There were eight suspected locations tucked in that area. All other quadrants have shown no signs of life, energy signatures, or radio feedback,” Tech replied and took a moment to glance over Echo’s shoulder at the weather radar. He grimaced at what he saw, and wondered if part of Echo’s annoyance also stemmed from the fact that the storm was still rapidly approaching. Just their luck.

He seemed fed up enough with the radar and sat back in his chair heavily, crossing his arms over his chest, “Are we even sure that these readings are accurate enough to prove if one of the locations is active or not? For all we know any runners or Separatists may have bugged out once they saw the big storm coming in and won’t return until afterwards.”

“We do not know for certain, but it is a place to start at least. If Hunter is able to confirm anything with the locals about the presence of the enemy, and our data turns up nothing, then we will know our readings were inaccurate,” Tech said.

Echo raised his brow, “And if the locals know nothing?”

Tech shrugged, “Then we are back to square one and will likely have to repeat our studies after the storm has passed. Perhaps even trekking into the mountains ourselves to be sure nothing nefarious is afoot.”

A shiver seemed to roll through Echo at the mention of the mountains, and Tech had to wonder if he was struggling physically with the cold, or just the mental thought of having to go out in all that snow. Without being inside of his head, Tech could not know for certain, but to be safe he quickly reached over to the environmental controls and turned up the heat in the ship. At the very least, it will make it less of a bother next time that Crosshair felt the need to go outside to scout again.

Echo had turned his attention out the window to where the wind could be seen picking up, and Tech followed his gaze. They still had a good few hours left before it came in full force, but that didn’t make the outside look any less threatening. Already the entire valley and mountain sides were caked in thick, wet snow. The kind that was nearly impossible to walk through. Even Tech found himself a little intimidated, given that his personal reliance on technology to find his way would be interrupted by the interference of the mountains and the ore they contained. To ease his worry, he’d already downloaded every map he could think of from the surrounding area, but he’d admit he’d feel a lot better if Hunter was with them. Maps could be wrong, but Hunter never was.

A small beep sounded out from Tech’s data pad and he saw that the last quadrant scan had completed. Quickly, he pulled up the report and was shocked to see a spike of activity show up in one of the possible locations. All others were as level and void as the previous reports, but that one spot showed several key indicators that something was going on over there. Immediately Tech began to re-run the same scans concentrated on that location, just to confirm the findings.

His sudden movement must have attracted Crosshair’s attention because soon he felt his brother’s presence hovering beside him.

“What is it?” he asked, startling Echo into looking over at Tech as well.

“One of the locations came back with positive readings for activity. I’m double checking, but we may have an actual hit,” he said, still focused on his work.

“And if it’s confirmed, what’s next?” Echo asked.

“We report it to Hunter, and most likely he will want us to go check it out in person to see who and what we’re dealing with,” Tech replied promptly.

Crosshair hissed out a sigh, “Oh goody. We get to go for a hike in all that,” he spat out his toothpick and elbowed Tech’s shoulder, “Guess you’ll be seeing more snowflakes after all.”

More time had passed and nobody else tried to talk to them, and the barkeeper had wandered off to serve his other patrons in the meantime, leaving the two of them alone and unbothered. Not exactly what Hunter wanted, unfortunately.

He was about to see if Wrecker wanted to go and try to make nice with the locals when his comm pinged, signaling Tech checking in again. He felt his heartrate begin to pick up until he reminded himself that he’d asked Tech to check in every hour, and time was just about up since their last call. He made himself calm down before he stepped outside to take it, nodding to Wrecker that he’d be back in a moment.

As he stepped outside he was hit by a sudden gust of frigid air that cut through even the armor and thermal suit underneath his cloak. There was a buzzing in his head that he recognized as a storm coming in. He’d felt a similar feeling during the many storms that plagued Kamino, but this one felt more reminiscent of some of their hurricanes that pounded rain against the windows and shuddered the buildings with each clap of thunder. Just their luck they flew in just in time for the storm of the century.

He waited for the wind to die down a bit before he called Tech back, “What have you got, Tech?”

“We got a hit on one loc***on. I’m se**ing you the coordinates **w for reference. It shows **ltiple signs of ac***ity,” he reported in.

Hunter glanced at the marked map Tech had sent over, and noted that it was not too far off from where they had landed the ship. It was probably a good thing they had some cloud cover coming in, otherwise they may have been spotted already.

“Any lu*k with *** locals?”

Hunter frowned as he looked across the street at a mother who pulled her son closer at the sight of him, “No luck there. Not yet anyway. They’ve made it very clear they aren’t fond of strangers in town, but we haven’t given up yet. We’ll stick around here a little bit longer before heading out. I don’t want us to get stuck here to wait out the storm if we can manage it. In the meantime, you boys up to taking a hike to go check that place out?”

There was a pause before Tech responded, “We c** manage it. We **ould be able to appr***h it on **ot.”

“Good, keep out of sight though. No confrontations if you can manage that too. If there is a whole troupe of Seppie smugglers out there I’d rather we all face them together.”

“Yes, Sarge.”

“And Tech?” Hunter drew in a long breath as he saw another couple speed up to pass by him quicker, “Stay safe, all of you.”

“I’ll keep **em in line,” Crosshair’s voice suddenly broke in, bringing a wry smile to Hunter’s face. He could always trust Crosshair to watch their backs, and it made him feel marginally better about sending them in alone. For now anyway.

He clicked off his comm and went back inside.

“Well, you heard him. Let’s get ready to head out,” Tech announced and got to his feet in a flurry of graceful motion as he began to gather several items from around the ship.

They were already wearing their special thermal blacks which would provide them with the basic warmth they’d need to survive, but they would only do so much once they’d gotten wet from the snow and the wind picked up. Echo dreaded the cold now, the feeling bringing up all sorts of bad memories and living nightmares for him, but he wasn’t about to back down because of it. If anything he felt more determined to get this done just so that he could prove to himself that he could move past his fears and discomfort.

He steeled himself and hooked his pack onto his back, and checked that he had his blaster at the ready. He could do this. Snow was nothing compared to what he went through before.

“But I don’t need a cloak, my armor is already light enough to blend into the snow just fine.”

“I don’t give a kark. You’re still putting it on. At the very least it’ll cover the red bits and anything reflective”

Echo turned his head to where Crosshair was wrestling Tech into one of the camouflaged white cloaks that they had packed for the mission. Usually, they were meant for a sniper to wear and stay unnoticed, but it looked like Crosshair had other ideas. Tech only seemed to halfheartedly protest being manhandled into the bulky cloak, a small pout on his lips as he tugged at the tight clasp around his neck. Crosshair batted his hands away.

“Do not take it off,” he warned with a pointed finger before he rounded on Echo and held another cloak up, “Do I have to force this on you too?” he asked with a hiss.

Quickly Echo shook his head and took the offered cloak, “Nope, this is fine. May help a bit with the cold, you know,” he tried to smile, but it fell flat in the presence of Crosshair’s scowl.

“At least the reg has some common sense,” he said and hoisted his rifle onto his shoulder, casting a brutal side eye over at his younger brother who was still tugging vainly at the cloak to get it to sit better.

Echo decided to take the half assed compliment for what it was.

“Do you have a map to where we’re going?” Echo asked Tech, and decided to take mercy on him and walked over to help him adjust the cloak around his pack and shoulder guards.

Tech stopped wiggling around and let Echo help, “A have several maps of the surrounding area, but they may be possibly outdated. Topographies like this shift quite often, creating new obstacles after rock slides and avalanches. There could be all sorts of unmarked obstacles we may encounter, like boulders, cervices, and even bodies of water.”

Crosshair groaned from behind them, “And all of them recently covered by snow, and therefore possibly hidden. Fantastic.”

Tech shrugged, making the cloak fall more naturally over his arms, “We’ll just have to move carefully.”

Grunting his agreement, Crosshair began to lower the ramp. Instantly Echo felt the cold rush in and he hurried to put on his own cloak, which this time Tech stepped in to help with. They all placed their helmets on and moved out.

Together they all descended from the ship and stepped out into the snowy mountains.

“Head northeast by that narrow pass to the left,” Tech instructed.

Echo glanced over in the direction Tech was pointing, noting the sharp peaks of rocks that poked out of the snow, and the steep climb it immediately moved into. It did not look like this would be an easy hike. At least Wrecker didn’t have to deal with any heights yet. Although Echo kind of wished the larger clone was there if only to create a flattened path of snow for the rest of them. Oh well.

“If there are fun little surprises that are potentially lurking under the snow, then I’m taking point this time. I don’t want to have to drag either of you out of a pond just because you didn’t realize you were stepping on ice,” Crosshair announced and shuffled ahead of them.

As much as Echo hated to admit it, that was probably a good point. He hadn’t considered how difficult swimming would be for him now that he was mostly metal bits, and his feet weren’t as perceptive to environmental changes as his natural feet once were. And Tech would only have half his attention on his surroundings since he’d be guiding them. Plus, it meant Crosshair had to break through the snow for them.

He waved his hand out to welcome Crosshair to move on ahead and then did the same for Tech. If the younger clone was going to be focused on the map and the sniper on the path ahead, Echo wanted to make sure he watched Tech and Crosshair’s backs for them.

It also had the added bonus of nobody seeing him if he slipped. Win-win.

Chapter Text

There were some perks to having cybernetic legs. One was that his calf muscles weren’t screaming at him in agony from all the snowy inclines they were having to climb up, and two was that they wouldn’t go numb from the cold and wet. Their thermal blacks could only do so much, after all.

Tech gave another startled yelp as he slipped on another patch of loose snow, but instead of falling face first into the ground like last time, Echo was able to catch him from behind. He would be forever grateful that it was smaller Tech he was catching from behind, and not Wrecker. 

“Thank you,” he gasped as he righted himself again. Normally he was one of the most agile and sure footed of the bunch thanks to his light and flexible armor, but now all that open space on his legs, arms and face were becoming victim to the cold and wind faster than the rest of them. He wasn’t complaining, but Echo was sure that he was very uncomfortable.

“Just take it easy, Tech. I’ve got your back,” Echo muttered, keeping his hands on the younger clones’ flanks for a few extra moments until he was sure that Tech had found his balance again. He could feel Crosshair watching them from a few meters away, even though his helmet blocked sight of any expression Echo could make out. Echo refused to flinch away though, not really caring if Crosshair was somehow displeased with him helping their little brother. He wasn't about to let him fall in to the snow...again. 

Crosshair only turned forward again once he had seen Tech moving again, but his gaze lingered on Echo for a beat before he faced ahead. The sniper was never one much for idle chatter, and Echo was fine with that, but he’d give four days rations to find out what went on in Crosshair’s head. He got that Crosshair was protective after Tech told him, but why couldn't he be like Hunter's version of overbearing? Right now Echo was getting the impression that Crosshair was a snarling nexu guarding a kit, and Echo was encroaching on their nest. It was weird and he didn't get it. He was half tempted to run up to the sniper and demand what his problem was, but he didn't think an antagonistic approach would work with the quiet clone. Although, there were other more verbal members of the group he could ask…

Echo moved in close to Tech again, rationalizing the movement in his head as making sure the other clone didn’t slip again. He made sure to keep regularly checking their six, but also kept a close eye on the other. It was easy to do in this landscape, given how flat and pristine the untouched snow was all around them. There would be no hiding anyone following them from behind and it put his troubled mind a little bit at ease. 

“Tech…” Echo started, keeping his voice just above a murmur, “Have I done something to piss off Crosshair?”

“Hmm?” Tech glanced back at him, confusion in his bright eyes, “Not that I’m aware of. Are you referring to his abrasive manner, his sarcasm, or his tendency to glare rather directly at everyone?”

Echo blinked in surprise, balking, “Uh, all of that I guess?” He hadn't quite expected Tech to hit the nail on the head so quickly. Maybe he wasn't as subtle as he thought with his annoyance at Crosshair's behavior. He'd have to be careful about that, they were all a team after all. 

There was a slight crinkling at the corner of Tech’s eyes that looked like they were part of a smile under his helmet, “Our brother is just like that now. His perceived indifference and coldness are how he protects himself from unwanted attachments. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now he shows he cares in more subtle ways though. He is far from heartless. He is just very selective in who he trusts and let’s close, he just needs time.”

Tech had used the word 'ours' when marking Crosshair as a brother, but he must have meant the others, not Echo and the team collectively. It was too soon for anyone to accept Echo like that, so he shook off the sudden rush of warmth he felt at the term. Even if he already felt like his new squad were brothers to him. It clearly wasn't meant to include Echo though. Not yet perhaps. Echo thought about the rest of what Tech said though, and it kind of made sense in some ways, but no sense in others, “What is he protecting himself from? Don’t you want to make friends? He keeps going on about how the regs are mean to you guys, but then starts belittling them the moment one even looks at him. Hardly a good first impression.”

The crinkles around Tech’s eyes faded, and he ducked his head to look down at this data pad, but Echo knew it was just to have an excuse to look away. Immediately, Echo regretted his harsh words. The regs were still a sensitive subject for all of them. Stars, even Echo was having trouble looking at them the same since they'd taken to staring at him in the halls, whispering as he passed. There was a sad sag to Tech’s shoulders for a moment, and he fiddled with the device in his hand without actually doing anything. Echo's one remaining hand itched to reach out and comfort him, but didn't know if it would be welcome. Whatever Tech was thinking about in that pause though was shaken off.

Finally, he seemed to have chosen his words and glanced back at Echo as the two of them tried to keep up with Crosshair.

He kept his voice low, careful that it didn't carry beyond them, and Echo found himself unconsciously moving closer to hear, “There were once many more of us. Enhanced clones, that is. None made it past their early cadet years besides us, and we didn’t meet Hunter and Wrecker for some time, so we were quite alone at the time. We both handled the loss in different ways. We withdrew for a time, but Crosshair never quite came back the same. The cruelty that some of the regs displayed towards us did not help. They were hurting him when he was already in pain, and they when they focused in on me…well, they were threatening the last thing he cared about. Eventually he seemed to decide that it was safer for him to lash out before they got too close to us,” he finished softly, and his head swiveled up to where Crosshair was still forging a path for them up ahead. He seemed oblivious to the two of them talking, which Echo was grateful for. This didn't feel like something he'd appreciate being spoken about. 

While Tech hadn’t given too many details in his explanation, Echo still found his brain swirling with all that it meant. There had been more? How many? What happened to them? Where were Hunter and Wrecker in all this? Tech had once been withdrawn? Was Crosshair only lashing out because Echo was a reg, or because he was scared to get close to anyone else? Or was it both?

As much as he knew Tech enjoyed teaching others, he could sense that these were probably the few types of questions that he would not want to answer. A sorrow filled aura had fallen around Tech after he’d spoken briefly of his and Crosshair’s shared past, and Echo felt his heart constrict at seeing his usually excitable and passionate brother look so sad. Maybe he was catching a glimpse of what Tech had been like while he was "withdrawn", and he didn't like it one bit. He felt a bit guilty that his curiosity had made Tech sad in that way, but he was grateful that Tech had shared the painful hint of their past to help clear things up. Tech was right, Echo had seen some hints of how Crosshair did care for others, and he just needed to give his new brother some more time to open up and accept that Echo was a part of their squad now. He may never be as close to Echo as he was with the others, especially Tech, but at least Echo had an understanding of why.

“How much further, Tech,” Crosshair called out from ahead, sounding equal parts annoyed and bored.

Tech perked up a bit and tapped on his data pad quickly, “Two more klicks ahead. We’ll have to start looking for cover soon to remain unnoticed. Head left once you reach that next pass.”

Crosshair waved a hand over his head that he understood, “Fine, and stick to the path I marked. There’s a crumbling ledge off the right. Don’t make me dig out my grappling hook. It’s cold enough without having to take off my cloak and pack.”

Dutifully, Tech took two steps to the left and waited for Echo to do the same.

They were on a steep incline to reach the next pass, and they had to tilt forward and use their hands as braces as they climbed.

Tech’s head was swiveling back and forth, looking at the disturbed snow that they passed. His movements still seemed heavy with whatever sadness had come with talking of their past, and Echo wanted to help lighten the mood again and bring back the normally bright brother he’d gotten used to. The one who got excited over the small things that most people overlooked, but he found fascinating. Like…

“Tell me about your snowflakes, Tech,” Echo prompted. He knew that Tech would love nothing more than to stop and explore his latest hobby, but they both knew the mission came first.

Still, Tech’s whole body seemed to jerk alive at the mention of his latest project and he quickly, but still quietly since they were supposed to be on a stealth mission, began to go into a long-winded lecture about the crystallization process of water particles.

“…And they end up arranging themselves in a lattice of hexagonal rings of infinite variability! Just three small elements arranging themselves from the slightest shift and conditional changes. The theory is that no two are alike, but it would stand to reason that two created close together under nearly if not identical conditions should come out exactly the same. But no one has found evidence of that happening yet…”

Echo chuckled listening to Tech go on about how there had to be at least one set of absolutely identical snowflakes out there on the whole frozen planet. It was helping Echo forget about how much he hated the cold, and was possibly even helping him enjoy the snow for what it was. Trillions of small white crystals that sparkled under the dim sun above. It was rather pretty when it wasn’t disturbed by them crunching through it.

He shook his head, deeply amused, “Somehow I don’t think we’ll have time to check every snowflake on the planet, Tech.”

Tech paused, one finger raised in the air as his thought was interrupted, “Well that’s why statistical sampling is necessary. It would just make sense that two crystals formed under identical conditions would come out the same though.”

He almost slipped again, but Echo was right there to catch his foot and give him a boost up again, “Perhaps, but maybe it’s like us clones. The Kaminoans spent all that time and research trying to create copies of one man, all perfectly identical down to the last gene (save for some accelerated growth and you guys), and yet we all ended up with unique personalities and sometimes even visual variations. Like Rex’s hair. Still trying to figure out that one,” he chuckled again.

He was about to reach for another hand hold only to stop when he realized that Tech had frozen in place and was staring down at him with wide eyes.  

“Something wrong?”

Tech shook his head slowly, “No, I just…I never thought about it like that.”

Echo grinned widely, even though he knew Tech couldn’t see it, “Well some of us non-enhanced clones have profound thoughts too, you know,” he said, but didn’t say that he hadn’t really thought it was very profound until Tech did.

“Will you two hurry up. I want to get moving before my feet freeze to the ground,” Crosshair hissed down at them.

They both scrambled up the last length of the incline together and kept crouched low as they reached the peak. Echo drew in a sharp breath at the view before them.

Here the mountains had formed a natural circle around a shallow valley in the center. It was almost perfectly flat in the center, with great swooping sides arching all the way down. Almost all of it was perfectly covered in snow caps, with only some sharp rocky ledges peeking out under it all. It was breathtaking.

It was easy to see though why there was so much interference in these mountains, even without the ore contained in the mines. Signals would bounce around from mountain face, to mountain face, unable to smoothly move through the air without hitting something. And as pretty as it all was, Echo knew that those ledges were treacherous and unstable.

He turned back from the view to see Crosshair hovering over Tech’s shoulder as he pulled up another map, the two of them staring at it with confusion.

“If this map is correct, the hideout we’re looking for should be on the next peak over and a hundred meters down,” and he flicked down his visor to scan the area below, and Crosshair did the same.

“Can’t be that accurate. It doesn’t even account for the giant lake at the bottom of the mountain there,” Crosshair said, pointing to the suspiciously flat portion of the snow.

Tech shrugged and turned his attention to where the hideout was supposed to be, and begrudgingly Crosshair did too.

“There’s footprints leading to an outcropping,” Crosshair stated after a moment, and Tech nodded.

“Footprints after the snow storm we flew into means very recent activity,” Echo said as he crouched down to try and get a better look.

Tech hummed in agreement, “Now that we’ve confirmed the presence of something down there, we just need to get a closer look to see who and what we are dealing with.”

“Great, more climbing,” Echo sighed and stood up. Climbing would be a lot easier with both hands, but at least he wasn’t working with numb feet like Tech and Crosshair were.

He expected Crosshair to add in some sort of sarcastic comment there, but even if he was going to say something it was cut off by Tech sneezing loudly.

Crosshair growled and stomped over to the shorter clone and poked him in the chest, “You better not give away our location by causing an avalanche with all that noise.”

Tech looked offended and crossed his arms, “Hardly, it would take a noise far beyond any decibel I could produce to disturb enough snow to cause that kind of destruction.”

“Maybe, but you could still draw the attention of whoever is down there. You should have dressed warmer. I’ve told you a thousand times that you have too many open portions to your armor. Look at your helmet for kriff’s sake. Your face is going to get frostbite with all those holes,” he snarled.

“I’ll be fine. Let’s just get this done so we can head back to the ship and report to Hunter,” Tech replied calmly, not even bothered by Crosshair’s growing frustration.

Echo could see that the sniper was clearly displeased, and decided to step in before it got any more heated, “We’ll make this quick then so we can get back to the ship and get Tech warmed up. And if you feel another sneeze coming on…”

Tech rolled his eyes, “Yes, I know. Muffle it.”

Together the three of them began to descend down the mountain, taking care to keep themselves hidden behind rocks and debris. It was slow going, but it was steady and eventually they found a ledge high enough above the place where the footprints were seen and off to the side enough to have a good view.

The only problem was that they all had to lie flat in the snow to remain hidden.

There was a silent discussion between Echo and Crosshair where they both decided how to arrange themselves. They put Tech between them and huddled close on either side of him for warmth. The sniper methodically set up his scope and rifle while Tech and Echo pulled out their macrobinoculars.

Echo’s shoulders sagged when all they could see was a closed door behind where the footprints led, tucked away into the ledge.

“I can’t tell anything from that,” he grouched, but stayed focused on it anyway.

Tech sighed deeply, “I cannot discern anything from this distance either, I’m afraid.”

They waited for Crosshair, the one who could see better than any set of lenses or scopes, until he hissed out his own frustration, “Footprints are too deep to tell if they’re from a droid or sentient.”

They all sagged against each other when they knew what that meant.

They would be there for a while.

Chapter Text

They’d been about to give up when the door to the bar suddenly slammed open and several male sentients came crashing in, a swirl of snow and wind following them.

The bar filled with the sound of scraping chairs and alarmed murmurs as they all looked at the group that were now stumbling into the center of the room. It was obvious that the one in the middle, the one they were all carrying between them, was injured badly.

“Someone get the healer! They shot Graygin,” called one of the miners, his face streaked with blood and grime.

The alarm grew around the crowd, and Hunter felt the anxiety that had been hovering around the town begin to swirl up again like the coming of the next storm. One miner was already dashing out the door to find the healer while another group hurried up to the bloody and exhausted looking males.

Hunter may not have Crosshair’s keen eyesight, or Tech’s medical knowhow, but he knew blaster wounds as well as any seasoned soldier. And the wounded male they were carefully laying down on one of the tables had a nasty looking one on his left flank.

“What happened?” cried out the bartender, already rushing forward with hot water and a rag to help with the bleeding.

One of the human miners lifted his head, his face streaked with dirt that only made the angry lines of his forehead stand out even more, “They decided our mine was too close to where they were operating and decided to scare us away! We tried to tell them to back off, but then they started firing at us. We didn’t have any weapons. Most of us managed to get away, but they killed a few of our men. They’ll be coming back for the rest, I know it!” he shouted at them, making the whole room gasp in fear and others cry out in distress for their possibly lost loved ones.

Hunter’s eyes widened and he glanced at Wrecker over his shoulder to see the larger clone gritting his teeth. If there was one thing Wrecker couldn’t stand, it was when innocent people were targeted.

“The runners have left us alone for the most part all these years. Why attack us now?” another villager asked, a tremor in her voice.

The human shook his head, “I don’t know, but they were heavily armed. More than they’ve ever been. And they had battle droids with them.”

Hunter cursed under his breath and heard Wrecker do the same. That sounded a lot like the seppies and some runners had teamed up. That was the worst-case scenario for this mission, and Hunter felt his whole body tense up like he already could feel the tide of war coming in again.  

The male on the table let out a terrible moan as a towel was pressed against his side, a sound that they had all heard too many times since they’d started this war. It may not have been someone that Hunter personally cared for, but it echoed in his head from all the times he’d heard one of his men make the same pained noises from getting hit. When Wrecker had gotten his scars. When Crosshair had his sniper’s nest blown out from under him. And when that console Tech had been working on blew…Even now Hunter could see his own past expression mirrored in the panicked looks of the miner’s companions, who were all sporting various cuts and burns from their attack.

“We need to help them, Hunter,” Wrecker whispered. Hunter could hear the mug in his hand crack as the other clone gripped it too tightly, probably thinking the same thing as Hunter.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Hunter muttered back and pushed away from their place at the bar. A few of the other patrons who had moved closer to the miners stepped back with whispers and gasps as the two clones came forward. Some of it was fear, and some anger, which Hunter could understand. He wouldn’t take it personally, especially since he was unlikely to trust ever fully strangers either.

As the people parted to let them through, it eventually got the attention of the wounded miner’s, including the human whose whole face turned red at their approach.

“And who the kark are you? Are you with them?” he snarled, curling protectively over his companion on the table.

Hunter held his hands up in surrender, “Easy there, we’re here to help actually.”

“Yeah, we were sent here to check out some caves for Separatists, but it sounds like you’ve already found them,” Wrecker said, all traces of his usual humor gone.

The bartender’s many eyes widened and he looked them over again, no doubt trying to catch a closer look at the armor hidden under their cloaks, “Are you from the Republic Army?” he asked, doubtfully. By now most of the galaxy knew the signature clone face, and Hunter knew they didn’t quite fit the bill in that department. There were more murmurs behind them, but they silenced when Wrecker turned around to face them. They all looked too scared to be hopeful, like they didn’t quite believe anyone would help them.

Hunter nodded anyway, “Yes, and we’ll help you deal with them, but we will need all the information you have.”

Of all the faces before them, Hunter saw fear and doubt flashing across them like a wave. He could understand their reluctance, after all, look at what luck they had with strangers coming into their home lately. Right now, they were all gathered around one of their friends and neighbors as he bled across the table, held down as they desperately tried to staunch the flow.

They were desperate though. Hunter could smell it on them as much as the Boosodian would be able to see it.

In the end, it was the group of wounded miners that caved in first and began to tell the two clones all they knew about the people and droids who had taken over their mines.

Echo could feel Tech beginning to shiver between them, and it only reminded him of how cold he was getting too. If he still had toes, they would probably be purple by now. They’d been watching the entrance of the cave for almost two hours, and still had not seen anything. As much as he prided himself on being patient, he found that he was rapidly becoming antsy to get moving, or at the very least see something.

The last any of them had spoken was with Hunter on their last check in, but it had been short. Just letting him know they were in position and him saying that they were still trying to get some of the locals to spill. They were due soon for another check in, and Echo was hoping that the others would at least have something to share.

Of course, Crosshair was the perfect sniper, not having so much as twitched since they had laid down together, but even he must have been starting to lose his cool by now. With nothing to shoot, nowhere to go, and not able to snark at the two of them he must have been mere seconds away from losing it. At least Echo was assuming given that he couldn’t read his face under his helmet. Say what he will about Tech’s helmet and the visible parts of his face, Echo was glad to be able to make out some sort of expression from his eyes.

Like right now he could tell that Tech was bored and annoyed. Bored at the situation, and probably annoyed that the data pad in his hand was fritzing out every few seconds as he tried to render some updated data. And Echo had a feeling he knew what Tech was trying to pull up, because it was weighing on his mind too.

The cold was one thing that they were already worried about while they were stuck in the snow watching, but there was one other looming threat that was also casting its own shadow on the moment. That karking storm that was still coming up on their tail fast. Even now Echo could feel the static growing in his limbs and see the darkening clouds over the distant mountains. They didn’t have much longer. He didn’t need Tech’s data pad to tell him that.

It had taken a while, but once they had started to tell their story of the invading Separatists it had all come spilling out.

Hunter and Wrecker listened with growing rage as the townspeople told them about the first arrival. At first, they had thought they would be left alone, and the droids and their leaders would get what they wanted from the spice runner network and leave. Only they didn’t leave, they started to occupy the active, and abandoned mines in the surrounding areas. Whether they were once used by the runners or not. And then they spoke of how the runners had started to come into town and harass them into selling their precious ore for dirt prices. And then how the once reclusive spice runners started to bully the miners where they worked, trying to take over their only livelihood. The mines.

The ore and the hidden network of caves had become too useful to the Separatists, taking advantage of the raw materials for their production and then using the caves and mines to house their overseeing droid army. To make it all worse, the once runners were now pulling double duty in trafficking arms, ore and spice without any concerns now that they had a droid army on their side.

Before the town had been able to manage living alongside the spice runners because they kept to themselves, hiding. Now they had become bold and were more than happy to try and run the innocent people out of their mines and homes so that they could take over completely. It was maddening, and Hunter felt his jaw clench as he heard Wrecker cracking his knuckles behind him.

This mission was quickly becoming less of a recon and more of a defensive campaign the more they heard. Sure, they could just write up a report that the seppies had invaded and then leave it up to the regs to clean up the mess, but it didn’t sound like they had time to wait for the paper pushers to make that happen. Not when the townspeople were already being attacked like this. They would have to do something.

“Do you know which caves and mines have become occupied?” Hunter asked as they finished. By then the town doctor had arrived and was working on the most injured miners, and with some work and rest, it looked like they would all pull through, thank the Force, “And how many runners and droids are we looking at here?”

One of the older miners stepped forward and pulled up a map he had stored in his bag, “The ones marked with yellow are the ones that we’ve noticed have become active again, and the ones marked in red are the ones that were taken from us. There are still a few old mines that they haven’t occupied yet, mostly because they are unstable, or too well hidden, but who knows how long those will stay that way.”

“For the most part, they seem to be using them as armories or storage. Those ones just have a handful of droids guarding them. Those droids don’t seem to have any issue with the cold. The real issue is this cave right here,” the human from before said and pointed to a mine in the upper northern quadrant, “It’s the largest series of mines interlocked, and they’ve been using it as their base of operations. Dozens of runners and too many droids to count in there from what we can tell.”

The barkeeper looked sad as he hovered over the maps, “And those are just the ones we know about. We assume they have more locations surrounding the town, but none as big as that one. The snow doesn’t bother the droids and their ships, they could strike us at any moment.

Hunter heard what they were saying, but it was only secondary to the alarm bells in his head as he stared down at the map and the location they were most worried about. With a growing sense of dread, he pulled up the coordinates that Tech had sent over hours ago to the place they were going to check out.

The locations were the same.

His men were heading right into the hot spot and had no idea.

Wrecker seemed to notice Hunter’s body suddenly going rigid and stepped in closer to his brother.

“What’s wrong?” he asked warily.

Hunter shook his head, “That mine is where the others were headed to when we last spoke,” he nearly growled, and he ignored Wrecker’s startled grunt as he quickly pulled up his comm and sent out a call.

“Tech? Come in, Tech. Are you there?” he called out, but the harsh sound of static was all they he got back.

He could feel his heart begin to beat faster the longer the static kept going. “Tech? Echo? Crosshair? Anyone? Answer me!”

*Static*

Impatience finally won out once Tech muffled his latest sneeze.

“Is it time to check in with Hunter yet?” Echo whispered over to where Tech was moodily tapping on his screen. Anything to help him think of anything besides the cold for a moment.

He sighed and his shoulders sagged, making his chest fall deeper into the snow, “It is past time, but I have been unable to establish a connection for the last thirty minutes. It seems the storm's interference has finally overridden our comms. It is possible we may be able to get some sort of signal if we were back at the ship, but I cannot promise anything.”

Echo had to suppress a groan as he also sagged deeper into the snow, too tired to hold himself up anymore. They had a job to do though, and just as he was about to muster the strength to push himself upright again he heard Crosshair shift next to them suddenly.

“I’m seeing some movement,” he said quietly, his whole body gone rigid as he peered down his scope.

Echo and Tech quickly pulled up their own lenses and looked towards the large door as it slid open. Biting his lip, Echo watched the door where he saw moving shadows further inside the mine, the glow of the interior reflecting out on the snow as it grew darker outside.

After a few moments, they finally saw several figures become visible at the enterance, and Echo bit back a curse as he saw the familiar shape of battle droids making their way out. Echo cursed again when he saw sentient shapes among the droids, all of them carrying crates full of weapons or just weapons clutched in their hands. So they had teamed up with the runners after all. Worst case scenario, just their rotten luck.

“They’re preparing for something. Look, they’re arming themselves,” Tech whispered just as several transports emerged from the shadows.

“Well, that’s not concerning at all,” Crosshair mumbled as the transports began to get loaded with droids and weapons alike. From what they could see, it was obvious this wasn’t just a delivery to be made by the runners. This was an attack strike force being assembled.

Echo shook his head, “What are they thinking trying to attack at the edge of a storm?”

He felt Tech shrug next to him, “If they are only sending in the droids for an attack, then they have much less to worry about when it comes to handling the conditions than sentients do. It’s actually quite clever of them to attack when anything non-droid would struggle to merely survive the cold, let alone blaster fire.”

“Clever?” Echo knew Tech was just being logical, but he was angrier that the Separatists would stoop this low.

“At the very least the storm will slow down their transports. That will buy us some time,” Crosshair said and was already crawling back the way they came before Echo even had time to process that Tech was following.

He growled and crawled along on his belly through the snow as he caught up to the others, all still carefully keeping out of sight of the emerged battalion.

“Buy us time for what?” he asked as they made it around the peak and were finally able to stand up.

Crosshair brushed some of the snow from his chest plate and lazily turned his head to where Echo was, “Enough time to get back to the ship and warn the others. They could be headed for us, or the town for all we know.”

It made sense, so Echo nodded, “Fine, let’s go.”

“Hmm, and it looks like we better hurry,” Tech commented mildly and the two older clones turned to look at him, noticing that he was staring up into the sky.

They tilted their heads back to look up only for fresh snowflakes to fall onto their helmets.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t the first time that Hunter felt torn between their duty as soldiers on a mission and his duty as a brother. Nearly every time they found themselves in a battle he always felt that instant urge to round up each and every one of his brothers and take them back to safety, but in the end his training and their responsibility won out over that urge. As soon as his comm was met with silence his first instinct was to run back to the Marauder and find his mission soldiers. But his feet stayed firm where they were. Even with Wrecker hovering behind him and feeling that same draw away, and probably thinking the same thing.

They had drifted a few feet away from the fretting townsfolk who Hunter had directed to collect any and all arms that they had in their homes and to take a count of everything. They were busy for the moment, allowing the clones a few precious short moments to address the other worries in their hearts.

“Tech did say something about interference on the comms with the storm coming, yeah?” Wrecker said in his version of a hushed tone, probably trying to comfort Hunter a bit.

Hunter sighed and nodded, “Yeah, that may be it. I just…I can’t feel them,” he whispered around clenched teeth.

Wrecker’s eyes widened, knowing exactly what Hunter was talking about and his face scrunched up in worry and his whole body tensed up like he’d been stung, “You can’t feel them? Since when?” And with the bruiser’s reaction Hunter had to remember that his ability to sense where all their brothers were wasn’t just a comfort to himself. They all relied on Hunter to keep them all together. Safe.

Quickly Hunter shushed him and laid a comforting hand on his arm, “Easy, easy, I lost good contact about halfway from the ship and it faded out the closer we got to town. Normal interference, no doubt from the mountains and the incoming storm. It’s nothing to worry about,” he said trying to ease Wrecker and wishing it would work on himself as well. Maybe it would have worked better if he hadn’t just sent three of his men to check out a location that was apparently crawling with heavily armed seppies and runners. And by the sound of what the miners were saying, that place would be getting ready for an all out attack on the town and not caring who or what got in their way. Massive storm or a small army of three clones.

Wrecker wasn’t stupid though, and he knew that Hunter was worried no matter what he said and he knew that the others were facing down their own daunting task. But there was nothing they could do now. Not when…

“The storm is here!” someone shouted from the window where they pointed out into the suddenly swirling white vortex that appeared outside.

Hunter and Wrecker exchanged worried looks as they stared outside at what they were facing. They had protected small towns before, but this presented its own new challenges. Not to mention trying to organize a town of civilians to take up arms against the enemy. As much as they wanted to go back to find their brothers they were needed here to help these people. The others could take care of themselves, and even better, they had Echo with them. Hunter was relieved to have such a seasoned and experienced trooper on their team to step in when Hunter wasn’t there himself. This was just their first mission together though, they were all still trying to find their new equilibrium. Their place in everything. Kriff, they just couldn’t start off with an easy mission, could they?

Hunter could feel his emotions swirling in circles, much like the snow outside, and he forced himself to shake off the worry and to get his head back to where it needed to be. He needed to trust the others to handle things where they were and he needed to get these people ready here. Their lives, their homes and their livelihood was all at stake here. They couldn’t let them down.

A large hand came over his shoulder, and if it weren’t for the armor in the way he would have felt a gentle squeeze as Wrecker drew him back to the present.

“What are your orders, Sarge?” Wrecker asked, loudly enough that the whole bar could hear him.

So many scared faces turned towards them, and Hunter made himself look at all of them. To remember that these were real people, not numbers. Something that too many leaders in war tended to forget when they were not on the front lines.

With one last thought for their brother’s, Hunter brought his focus back on the people before him and drew in a long breath, “Alright, here’s what we need to do.”

Tech let out a tired groan as Echo and Crosshair heaved him from the ground for what felt like the hundredth time. All three of them were struggling to keep their feet under them as they trudged down the slopes, trying to get back to the ship as quickly as they could as the storm seemed to suddenly blow in with the fury of a Wampa. No matter which way Echo faced, it still felt like the wind was pushing them backwards, blinding them with snow and freezing them with ice. He couldn’t believe how quickly it had turned on them as they raced away from the hideout.

“Come on, we’ve got to keep going,” Crosshair shouted as he heaved Tech up, but instead of pushing him along like all the times before he kept his tight grip on Tech’s arm. Echo also found himself reluctant to let go at this point. The visibility around them was almost reduced to nothing between the dark sky and the snow blowing everywhere, and he was worried that if he lost sight of either of the other’s he’d never be able to find them again. Let alone his way back to the karking ship.

Going off of the way Tech gripped his arm back, he must have felt the same. At least Tech had a map though. Out of the three of them he was at least able to find his way back in this mess.

They all continued on huddled close together, Crosshair taking the lead since he was probably able to see better than the rest of them. Whether they were holding on so tightly was because of the cold or because they were all terrified to lose sight of one another, he wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t about to willingly let go of Tech anytime soon. And when his little brother stumbled yet again in the snow Echo and Crosshair were able to keep him from falling.

They all knew that their younger brother was struggling with the cold now more than ever. The skin around his neck and goggles had already gone from red to blue as the temperatures plummeted and the wind howled around them. At the very least he was still fully aware of everything and fully mobile, just hindered more by the shock of it all hitting so suddenly. Even Echo was feeling it down to every last circuit and connector. The places where skin met metal were the worst of all. The only mercy was that the numbness was making the tingly feeling from the interference go away.

“How much further?” he shouted, almost completely drowned out by the wind.

Tech peered through his visor, squinting ahead into the darkness, “We’re almost there,” he said with audible relief, and Echo could feel him come alert again under his grasp as if motivated by knowing they weren’t completely lost.

Echo heard Crosshair growl and suddenly the two of them were being pulled forcibly by the sniper in the what Echo assumed was the direction of the ship. Holding on as best he could with his one hand, Echo let himself be pulled along by Tech and trusted that they would end up somewhere safe. His fingers were beginning to turn numb though, and all it took was one harsh pull by Crosshair and Tech slipped from his fingers.

Without his support, Echo felt himself slip and fall into the snow. As soft as it was, it should have been a cushioned fall, but with how cold it was it felt more like a slap to the face. He quickly pulled his face out of the snow and his head whipped around in all directions as the panic started to seep in. He felt alone. And cold. And it was dark. It was too much like that place and he felt his throat begin to close up.

“Tech? Crosshair?!” he called out, hating the frantic note to his voice but he was too desperate to care much.

He didn’t even get a chance to get more worked up as suddenly he was being lifted from both sides by two pairs of hands.

“Hang on, we’ve got you,” he heard Crosshair shout over the wind.

“Just a little further, Echo,” Tech said calmly, and Echo felt his racing heart begin to slow to a more acceptable level, but the brief moment of panic was still clouding his mind and he was more than happy to let the other two clones guide him numbly back to the ship.  Every step felt like a ten pound boulder had been tied to his boots.

Now that he was being held on both sides so tightly by the others, he could feel their arms shake and muscles tremble as their own strength was waning. He forced his feet to push harder to help them more.

It felt like an age before he felt Tech pull one hand away and then they all heard the sound of the ramp lowering. A beam of light cut through the darkness and Echo couldn’t help the sigh of relief that fell from his lips as his feet hit metal instead of cold snow.

“Let’s go. Inside, both of you,” he heard Crosshair snap and Echo was too tired to snark back that of course they were going to do that anyway.

He had just made it far enough inside the ship to where he knew the ramp wouldn’t hit his ass as it closed and then he fell in a heap on the floor, apparently taking Tech with him as the smaller clone ended up sprawled half over his lap. The two of them were panting hard, barely able to even lift their bodies to pull away so they just lay there in a lump of limbs as Crosshair stumbled his way through the ship.

Echo managed to crack one eye open to watch as the sniper fumbled at the environmental controls, and after a few moments warm air began to circulate through the ship. Only once that was done did the sniper make his way back over to the two of them.

It was then that Echo realized that Crosshair had taken his helmet off at some point, and he was able to make out the panicked and worried look on his face as he rushed over to them.

In the back of his head he realized that the look was probably for Tech, and his own worry for their younger brother spiked again and he forced himself to push up and look over the body still draped over his legs.

Before he could even open his mouth to ask if Tech was alright Crosshair had kneeled down next to the two of them and was yanking off their helmets and tossing them aside. The he felt cold fingers under his chin, forcing him to look up into Crosshair’s eyes.

He was squinting down at him, looking for what, Echo had no idea, but it was a startling experience to be under such scrutiny. Eventually the sniper grimaced and pulled his hand back, “You look like shit, but you’ll live,” he grunted and helped him pull off the wet cloak before he moved his attention over to Tech.

“Go change out of your blacks and check for any frostbite,” he ordered as he began to go through the same motions on the smaller clone. Echo was fine with doing that, kark he wanted out of these cold and wet clothes desperately, but shook his head.

“Not until I know if Tech is okay,” he said sternly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Crosshair raised a single brow, but didn’t snarl back at him. At last, Echo had a victory.

With gentle hands Crosshair began to pull at his brother’s cloak as well, and Echo forced his arms into moving again to help Tech sit up. He was relieved to feel Tech already wiggling over his legs, and wasn’t passed out like he had been worried about.

Tech moaned lowly, and a shiver ran through him that ended with the loudest sneeze so far, “I’m fine,” he gasped, still trying to get his breath back under control.

Crosshair rolled his eyes, “Of course you are. That’s why we had to pull your sorry face from the snow twenty times.”

Even with his goggles on, Echo could see Tech’s eyes roll.

“We all were slipping if I recall correctly. And I am fine, just rather numb in my extremities. I’ll recover momentarily,” he replied before finally pushing himself off of Echo’s legs and stood up. There was a small wobble as he stood, but Echo knew their legs must have felt like mush after that hike through the snow. Even Crosshair stumbled a bit as he pushed up from the ground. He began to feel himself more grateful for his cybernetic legs since he didn’t have to feel the icy numbness or the ache of burning calves, and he pulled himself off the ground too.  

‘I’ll go see if I can raise Hunter on our frequency,” Tech said and headed off to the cockpit, leaving the other two clones standing in the center of the ship.

Echo could see that Crosshair was tense, but it could have been just from the long trek, his worry over Tech, the impending attack, or just because he was hungry. Kriff, it may have just been his natural state for all Echo knew. Still, it didn’t sit right with Echo to just ignore it, so he sighed and bumped his elbow into Crosshair’s side, drawing the sniper’s attention away from the cockpit.

“And what about you?” Echo asked gruffly.

“What about me?” Crosshair hissed back.

Echo forced himself not to roll his eyes. Crosshair needed to know he was serious about asking. “Are you okay?” he said quietly.

Crosshair looked stunned for a moment, and he probably only nodded because he was too shocked at being asked that by Echo to snark back with his usual instinctual grouchy way. Echo took it as a win for the moment.

Echo nodded back, “Good. Don’t forget to check yourself for frostbite as well, and we can tag team Tech when he’s done up front,” he offered.

Once again, Crosshair only managed to nod, slowly this time. He wasn’t scowling for once and it made Echo feel a bit more bold in addressing his new teammate directly.

Clearing his throat, Echo raised his hand to rub at the back of his neck and he felt an embarrassed heat rise up in the skin there, “I also wanted to thank you and Tech for coming back for me just now. I was a bit disoriented out there and wasn’t confident I’d be able to find my way back.”

Crosshair’s eyes narrowed slightly, “You thought we would just leave you there?”

Echo shrugged, “No, I just…”he sighed, “I didn’t think you’d know I was falling behind maybe? I’m an ARC trooper, it would make sense to believe that I could handle myself.”

Crosshair cocked a brow, “I don’t know how well regs look out for one another where you’ve come from, but we take care of our own on this squad. Either we all make it out or not at all. For all the other clones, there’s always someone to come in and take their place. It isn’t like that for us. There is no one else who could replace us. On this team we’ll always make sure you come back, but if we’re going to risk our necks to keep you alive then you better do the same for us,” he poked a finger at Echo’s chest plate, “You’re off to a good start by helping Tech on the mountain earlier, so don’t kark it up by forgetting that.”

As much as Echo wanted to argue that the regs didn’t see one another as replaceable either, but he understood what Crosshair was getting at. There were no shiny’s to take their place if one of their brother’s fell, no one else with their skills, and most importantly Echo could see that theses clones were closer than most. It made him think of what Tech had said about the failed experimental clones, how the four of them were all that were left. There had never been anyone to replace them. They’d just lost so many and then were alone, and so young…Echo shivered to think of what that must have been like knowing how much it hurt to lose his own batchmates as an older and more battle worn clone.

“I won’t forget that,” Echo promised and Crosshair seemed pleased for once. Or at least pleased enough that he considered the conversation over and turned back to the cockpit to join Tech.

So, Echo took what he considered a second win and also scrambled away back to the front to where Tech was before either him or Crosshair could ruin the moment by saying something grouchy.

He approached his younger brother from behind, pleased to see that he really did look okay now that they were back in the heated ship. Once again, his movements were confident and quick as he checked over the control panel, even if he was muttering under his breath the whole time.

“Have you contacted Hunter yet?” Crosshair asked as he stood behind Tech, arms crossed over his chest.

Tech’s head shook, “I have not. There is too much interference to even relay a written message. We won’t be able to reach either of them until the storm has passed.”

The two older clones exchanged worried glances as Tech continued.

“I was able to get another reading on the outpost we were observing. Activity signature suggests that they are preparing for a large frontal attack. More than what would be necessary to track down and incapacitate a single ship. I do not believe they are coming for us, nor do I believe they are even aware of our presence. It is much more likely that they plan to attack to nearby town where Hunter and Wrecker are at,” he said calmly, although if there was ever a time for Tech to sound alarmed Echo would have assumed this would be it.

“Then how are we going to warn them about the attack?” Echo asked.

Tech shrugged, “We can’t.”

“We can’t?” Echo cried incredulously, glancing between the two other clones, “That’s it?”

“Short of walking there ourselves, there is no way to cut through the interference with the resources on board,” Tech said calmly.

“What about flying?” Echo asked, a little desperate.

Tech shook his head, “I’m afraid even I would be unable to get the ship to take off in these conditions, not without significant risk to the ship and ourselves. Not to mention impossible to land safely if we managed to reach the town.”

A loud sigh erupted from where Crosshair stood, “Well then bundle up, brothers, because that sounds like we need to go for another nature walk,” Crosshair deadpanned, flicking his latest toothpick to the side and sounding resigned.

Echo’s whole body protested at the thought of going outside again after they had just barely managed to escape the mountain, but the thought of leaving the others and the whole town unaware bothered him even more. It went against every fiber and circuit of his being to sit still and warm when there were people who needed them, and when his new brothers could be in trouble. How they were going to manage reaching the town before the droids did, let alone with enough time to prepare for the onslaught, he had no karking idea.

“I may have a more expeditious and preventative idea than trying to beat snow speeders and transports to the town,” Tech chimed in with a finger held in the air. His eyes were bright and wide behind his goggles, the excitement in them belaying the calmness of his voice. Despite the serious nature of the moment, Crosshair couldn’t help but smile a bit.

“Care to share with the rest of the class then?” Crosshair asked.

Tech’s eyes lit up even more, “We could always attempt to reach the town on foot and face the attack head on together. We’ve dealt with large forces alone before, although not in environmental conditions such as these, so our chances of success are rather low, and civilian casualty risk is high,” he turned to Echo with a wry smile, “So our risk assessment is not desirable.”

Echo snorted in amusement, “So Crosshair was right all along. We could all die?”

 Crosshair rolled his eyes dramatically at the two of them.

“Precisely. So, I wanted to suggest an alternative approach. One where we take the fight to the droids rather than waiting for them to come to us.”

Crosshair let out an exasperated groan, “Ugh, just spit it out already. What is it you want us to do?”

Tech smiled widely, “I want us to sneeze. Very loudly.”

Chapter Text

Wrecker had already lived through hundreds of battles in his short life. He didn’t really remember a time that the smell of smoke and the sound of blaster fire wasn’t as familiar as his Lula. It was all he knew, and for the most part he was okay with that. He enjoyed it even when he was able to make a game of it with Crosshair, or when he knew they would succeed in the mission. He may not have Hunter’s senses, Crosshair’s skills, Echo’s experience and enhancements, or Tech’s big brain, but what Wrecker did have was his strength and demolitions knowledge and he knew that destruction was what he was good at. His brothers could show off in their own way. Wrecker knew where his skills lay and was comfortable with that. War seemed like the best place to let him be in his element, and it made it so the experience wasn’t as harrowing as it was to some others he’d met.

But that was when it was just him and his brothers against the enemy.

It stopped being as fun once civilians were put at risk.

As soon as they had organized in the bar, they’d all be sent out with various tasks to prepare. Wrecker had been put or barricades, moving all large objects into position to provide plenty of cover when the time came to defend the town. It was hard work, but he was grateful that Hunter had taken on the task of directing and instructing the locals in how to fight, hold their rifles, and where to aim to take out a droid. Wrecker may have been good at working with people, but he wasn’t comfortable putting on a happy face around people that may not survive the night.

These were families. And Wrecker understood the gravity of that better than most would assume from his normally carefree nature. He loved his brothers more than he had words to say it with, and he was grateful to have them. He knew the fear of losing a brother more than he cared to admit, and he could recognize that same fear in the people around them now.

He wished the others were with them now. Not just because he was worried that they had run into trouble, but also because with them they at least stood a little bit better of a chance keeping as many civilians alive as possible.

Wrecker paused as he slammed into place the next panel of metal that would be used as a barricade soon enough. He tapped at the comm on his arm, seeing if there was any signal yet, but all he heard was more static. Angrily he dropped his arm again, fist clenched at this side.

His brothers could take care of themselves. He knew that. But this was different. They were different now that they had Echo in the mix. Wrecker liked him and he knew he was quickly becoming an effective new squadmate, but they were all still adjusting. Wrecker sighed and hoped that at least Crosshair was being nice wherever they were.

He hoped they were all safe wherever they were.

He turned back to his own work, ignoring the sounds of the people’s worried chatter around him.

“This has got to be one of your more idiotic ideas.”

Crosshair’s grumbling had not let up after the initial blow up once Tech had shared his plan. Echo’s ears were still ringing after the shouting that had come from the normally reserved sniper. But once he paused enough to take in a breath, Tech had been able to point out a very extensive list of reasons why his idea was the best course of action. It was hard to argue with it at that point, and Echo had heard worse plans from General Skywalker before, so he hardly batted an eye. He may have twitched an eye though.

It was a rather dumb sounding plan, but it wasn’t like they had anything better.

While Crosshair was yanking all the cold weather wear they had out from storage (which was basically nothing but some extra scraps of fabric), Tech was already building…something. Echo leaned down to inspect the odd looking device the smaller clone was fiddling with, wrinkling his nose when he found himself at a loss for what it was.

“That doesn’t look like any bomb I’ve ever seen.”

“Ah. How very observant. That would probably be due to the fact that it is not a bomb.”

“What is it then?” Echo asked, leaning in closer to inspect it.

“I could offer the technical term for it, but a noise maker may be the best and most expeditious way to describe it,” he said wryly while plugging in a few more wires, “Like I said earlier, a sneeze would not provide enough vibrations to dislodge the volume of snow we need to create an avalanche of the magnitude we require, but that doesn’t mean a louder sound couldn’t. This should simulate enough vibrations, with the help of the mountains natural reverberance, to do exactly what we need it to do.”

“Take out an attack force before they can make it over the mountain.”

Tech looked up at him pleased, “Correct.”

Echo nodded, he’d understood the plan already for the most part. It still sounded weird though, “Why don’t we just use explosives instead? Won’t those knock enough snow loose?”

A spark from his soldering iron welded another wire in place as Tech continued to work, “Explosives would work well, but given the unstable nature of the rock formations that make up the mountains we would run the risk of a rock slide as well.”

Echo shrugged, “Why would that be an issue? Just sounds like going above and beyond with taking out the attack force.”

“Well then we would run the risk of dislodging the rock face that we will be sitting on when enacting our plan. Somehow, I think that would fall into Crosshair’s category of “stupid” and “unnecessarily reckless”. I was hoping to avoid another lecture from him,” Tech said and then grinned triumphantly as he closed the lid to his noise maker.

Falling to the bottom of the mountain in a mess of snow and rock did sound rather stupid and reckless, so if Tech thought his little noise maker would work fine then that was good enough for him.

“Enough talking. If this is going to be any help to the others then we need to leave now so we have time to climb up again. They looked like they were still preparing when we left, so that doesn’t leave us much time,” Crosshair said as he slammed down a bundle of fabric on the consol. From what Echo could see there were more camouflage cloaks and ripped blankets. All mercifully dry at least.

“Here, stuff these under your armor,” the sniper ordered, handing both of them some smaller pieces. It was a tight fit, given that their armor was shaped to fit them all perfectly, but it added one small layer of insulation that they didn’t have before.

Echo and Tech helped each other with their cloaks again, forest colors this time, but they weren’t going to be subtle this time around so it hardly mattered. There wasn’t much else they could do for their feet or hands, but if all went to plan they would be up and down the mountain again quickly, before any frostbite could kick in.

Their packs were all stuffed full of various bits of ammo, some smaller detonators (and a worrying amount of explosives in Tech's), and what small bits of survival gear they could fit in there, and Tech still had his maps all downloaded. They were about as prepared as they could be, but Echo still felt a tug of worry under his armor as he thought about them trying to climb up and down that mountain again when they had barely managed to do so in the first place. Crazy plan or no, this was the best way to protect the town and the brothers who were stuck there with them. 

But Echo had two other brothers right here with him that also needed to be protected. There was little he could do to help them against the cold, but he knew how terrifying it could be to lose sight of them in the storm, wondering if he’d get left behind, and he knew he could at least do something about that.

Quickly he dashed to the back of the ship and dug through some of their gear, and found exactly what he was looking for underneath some of Hunters extra knives. He brought his find back to the others, holding it up as they blinked at him curiously.

“We should tie this between us on the climb up, so we won’t lose sight of anyone,” he said as he tied one end around his waist. When he finished he moved up to Tech next to wrap him in the center of it, keeping him between them like their first trek. Surprisingly, Tech didn’t fight it and even lifted his arms out of the way for Echo to tie him in.

When he finished, he turned to Crosshair and raised a single brow in question, “Am I going to have to force this on you?” he asked with a smirk, both of them knowing he was referring to earlier when Crosshair had brought a cloak to Echo.

Even more surprising, Crosshair smirked back and snagged the remaining end of the rope and quickly tied it around his own waist. Seeing the two of them physically linked to him lessened Echo’s anxiety a bit. He wouldn’t lose them. And they wouldn’t lose him.

The last thing that they did before they moved to leave the ship was wrap one long length of a ripped up blanket around Tech’s exposed neck, tying it tightly so it didn’t fly away in the wind.

“But it’s bright red,” Tech pointed out, batting away Echo’s hand that was stuffing it in under his shoulder straps.

“Then it’ll be easier to find you the next time you fall flat on your face in the snow,” Crosshair snapped back, and tugged it tighter once more to emphasize the point, “No more complaining. We have to move fast if we’re going to make it back up there in time to stop them.”

He was right, and they wasted no more time preparing. It was time to go.

Together the three of them stood at the door as the ramp lowered, with Tech carefully cradling his newest creation in his hands as they took in the violent winds and white out conditions before them. Immediately Echo felt any warmth he’d gained back leave him as the first gust cut through everything until he felt it burn cold against his skin.

“Is it just me or did it get colder out,” Echo joked.

“It did, actually. By an additional ten degrees.”

“...Thanks, Tech.”

“You are very welcome, Echo.”

“Shut up both of you. Let’s go.”

So, they stepped out into the snow.

Chapter Text

The rope may have been Echo’s best idea ever because as soon as they began to ascend up that karking mountain for the second time that day, he found himself almost completely blind to anything more than five feet in front of him. It was only the taut rope tugging at his waist constantly that assured him that the others were still ahead of him.

It was rough.

All three of them were practically bent over at the waist to fight against the wind that seemed to be pushing them backwards with its force. If it weren’t for the helmet protecting their faces and eyes he was sure they would be completely blinded, and even then he had to keep wiping away the gathering ice crystals that were building up on his visor.

And it was cold.

It felt uncomfortably familiar to his time with the Techno Union, like his whole body was once again encased in a cryochamber. It was a miracle he was alert enough to keep himself from falling into any flashbacks, although that may have been because he was too focused on their task and his new squad.

Despite the weather, they were making decent time. At least he thought so. Tech had been directing their movements through his comm, making sure they stayed on track. They were making progress towards the top. It was what they had to do once they reached the peak that was making Echo slightly nauseous. It wasn't every day you created your own avalanche.

“Keeps your heads up. This is where that ledge was,” he heard Crosshair shout at them and Echo instinctively took a startled step to the left like he had done earlier. He blinked rapidly at the ground to this right and felt himself panic when he honestly could not tell the difference between the path and the ledge. Everything was white and looked the same any way he turned! The only difference he could discern enough to guess at a direction was by the incline of the ground under him. If Crosshair hadn’t been there he probably would have just waltzed right off the edge.

A tug at his waist pulled him from his thoughts and he stumbled after Tech. He caught a glimpse of something red flap in front of him and he breathed a little easier, knowing that it must have been the scarf that they had tied around the engineer’s neck. The rope was nice, but seeing visual evidence that one of his brothers was near was even better.

They had been climbing for what felt like hours to Echo, but eventually he watched as the flash of red and the rope around his waist began to lift higher in front of him, and he remembered the steep part of the trek that came right before the peak. His hand sought out the already punched in snow where Crosshair and Tech had found handholds and dug in deep to grip the rocks underneath.

With only one hand to work with it felt like twice the work to haul his freezing body up the incline. His fingers were quickly becoming numb though and he was finding it hard to discern if he actually had a good grip or not.

Turns out on that last one he did not have a good grip and he felt himself slip.

His brain had no way to know how far he was going to fall, or where he could possibly try to grab hold of anything else, and he felt his whole body tense as it prepared for impact.

Only he stopped short, the rope snapping him to a stop painfully, knocking the wind out of him. He felt himself swinging wildly in the gusts of frigid air that cut through the mountain and he hung there disoriented and scared.

“Echo, we need you to reach up to me. Our hands are too numb to grip the rope effectively. We’ll pull you back up, but you have to give me your hand!”

It was the first time that Tech ever sounded anything other than eerily calm. There was a strain to his voice tinged with a bit of panic. Hearing him distressed snapped Echo out of his confusion and he forced himself to get a grip on reality again. His brain finally allowed him to recognize which way was up, and then helpfully he was swung into the side of the mountain by the wind, so he found that too.

He saw a flash of red again and he reached up blindly to it, wondering if they would even be able to find his hand in all this.

But then he felt a hand close around his wrist and not even a heartbeat later he was being pulled up.

“We’ve got you,” he heard Tech say between strained grunts. Echo believed him.

When he felt snow under his legs and arm he quickly began to search for foot and handholds, digging in deeper this time as he latched back on to the rocks. Tech didn’t let go until Echo pulled away.

“Thanks. That wasn’t fun,” he gasped out, chuckling in relief as he found gravity again.

“It was rather alarming. I got pulled off my feet too when you fell. Crosshair was able to keep us all from falling though. We’re good now, Crosshair. You can disengage the hook,” he heard Tech say and Echo blinked in surprise. Although he really shouldn’t be surprised that Crosshair was the one keeping all three of them tethered to the rock face.

“We’re almost there,” Crosshair said, and Echo could have cried in relief.

A few minutes later Echo felt another sharp tug in the rope and glanced up to see Tech’s boots disappear over the ledge above. Echo scrambled the last few feet up, eager to get back on his feet after his near fall. He didn’t even have to try hauling himself up with his one hand because two sets of hands slipped under his shoulders and yanked him the rest of the way over.

As much as Echo wanted to lay there and catch his breath for the next week, there was no time for breaks. They had a job to do and so many lives depended on them.

He pushed himself to his knees, bumping into Tech beside him who was also trying to stand up. If his legs felt anything like Echo’s arms then he’d be walking on jelly sticks for a bit. Only Crosshair seemed unaffected by the climb, and at this point Echo was convinced that the Kaminoans had found a way to engineer a clone that was powered off of spite alone. 

Finally Echo managed to get his feet under him and reached out to stabilize Tech who was indeed looking a bit wobbly.

Last time they were up here mere hours ago the view had been spectacular and daunting.

Now it was just daunting. The ledge that led down the mountain peak looked like it just fell into a gray abyss.

“It looks like they’re still down there. Even with the storm I can pick up on some activity at the mine’s entryway,” Tech’s voice cut in.

“We’re not too late then,” Echo said, thanking the stars for that.

He heard Crosshair grunt over the comms and felt him shift in front of them, “Then we need to get in place. Where is the place you expect them to try and make it past the mountains again?”

Tech hesitantly moved closer to the edge, tapping at his data pad and squinting down at the snow covered screen, “There are only a few possible passes that they could take, but the most expeditious one would be the first one to the left. Although it is possible that they will take the second one to the left since it isn’t much further. Like I said before, this environment is in constant flux. Rockslides could have blocked any of these passages in the last few years.”

“Well, how do we know which one to hit then?”

“Why don’t we just take both passages out?”

Tech hummed in thought and Echo felt another tug at his waist as he tried to peer off to where the passes were supposedly located, “They are located beside two different peaks. In order to disturb the snow on the far left pass we would need to position ourselves almost within the crash radius of the other path. We would be between the two passes, in other words. It would be possible to zip line between the peaks and be in position to detonate both though. But like I said--”

“So, it’s possible, but risky. We get it. That’s our M.O.,” Crosshair cut him off.

“Yes. And we would also need someone to stay back on this peak to keep an eye on the zip line. Crosshair, since you are able to perform your function at a distance, it would make sense for it to be you.”

Echo didn’t need to see Crosshair closely to know that he tensed up at the suggestion that he stay behind while they went to go cause possibly two avalanches. There was a tense silence as they waited, but if Echo was understanding the plan correctly, it would make the most sense to leave Crosshair behind. Not that making sense made it any easier. Echo could sympathize, knowing that Crosshair lived and thrived off of his sight, but even he would struggle to see anything from far away. Normally he would be able to keep an eye on all of his squad easily, but out here…

“Fine,” Crosshair finally spat out, which Tech took as enough of a blessing to begin the next stage of their plan.

“Use can your heat signature view to keep track of us,” Echo suggested in a hushed tone as Tech walked away to begin scanning for the best angle to move to the next peak, “It’s cold enough out here that we should stand out like a beacon, even from that far away.” It wouldn’t be perfect, he’d be watching red blobs at best without really knowing what was going on, not entirely sure who was who, but it was better than nothing.

At first, he thought that Crosshair may not have heard him since he seemed entirely focused on setting up the grappling hook to his rifle, his hands steady and sure despite the cold. But then he saw the way that Crosshair’s shoulders were tensed up and swore he could hear the sound of his teeth grinding even with the wind howling in their ears.

Force once, Echo was confident that the sniper’s mood had nothing to do with him personally, and instead it was in reaction to a loss of control over the situation. Echo had seen it enough times in the faces of other troopers to recognize it for what it was. Hunter may have trained his men superbly in running those simulations, but there were only so many factors that could be simulated after all. Crosshair’s skill, his genetically coded purpose, was his eyesight. And out here it was almost useless. And now keeping his brother safe was also taken out of his hands. Echo could understand that since he’d always taken keeping Fives safe as his own personal priority.

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Echo finally said over the private comm link to Crosshair when it seemed like the other clone wouldn’t respond.

Crosshair’s head whipped around to face him, “You had better. Don’t forget what we talked about, reg,” he said, “Tech will watch your back and pull you out of trouble, but you better do that same for him. Or you’ll answer to me.”

“You don’t have to tell me, I’d do it anyway. I care about Tech. Stars, I care about all of you. Just give me a chance to prove it, yeah?” And with that Echo turned away and pushed his way through the snow to catch up to his youngest brother, leaving a stunned Crosshair behind him. While it annoyed him that Crosshair assumed Echo just look out for himself, he reluctantly understood that he hadn't earned that trust yet. Still, he didn't have to stand around and let the sniper be an ass to him. He waded his way through the snow, noting that it had just about reached his knees at this point. He wanted to be frustrated with Crosshair, but Tech had told him it would take time for him to come around. He had to respect that. For now, anyway. He wasn’t even lying though, he would always look out for his new squad mates. They were all he had left now and he was so very tired of losing everyone he cared about.

“I’ve got a trajectory marked if the two of you are ready,” Tech called out over his shoulder as Echo pulled in beside him. He felt Crosshair move in behind them, glancing over Tech’s shoulder at the readings.

The sniper then glanced up and flicked his sight visor down peering out in the direction of the coordinates and then began take some wind readings of his own.

“How do you know that’s a good spot?” Echo asked. All he saw ahead of them was white and more white.

“Higher rock density and a more frequent rebound bursts from my radar. It indicated that there is a ledge seven feet under the target and that there should be a relatively stable rock wall for the hook to sink into,” Tech replied.

Echo wrinkled his nose, “Relatively stable?”

Tech shrugged, “It’s a mountain. They’re all prone to degradation and breakage over time. As long as we remain tethered to the line we should be fine, even if the ledge breaks under us.”

“Great,” Echo mumbled, this was falling into the dumb category even more than before. He wondered what Hunter would have thought about this plan.

A blast was heard suddenly from beside them as Crosshair took his shot, the line uncoiling rapidly as it soared out through the sky. It took a few seconds, just long enough for Echo to wonder if maybe Crosshair had missed due to the lack of visibility, but then the rope jerked to a stop. The three of them tugged hard on the rope a few times before agreeing that it seemed to have found a decent purchase across the way, and Crosshair took the other end to go tie it off to a boulder.

Echo took a moment to peer out into the distance, eyes following the line until it faded out between the grey and white. It looked like they would be sailing into the abyss. The only comfort he could find was that he couldn’t see how far down they would fall if the rope snapped, although he knew logically it was a long way down. He’d try to pretend it wasn’t though for his own sanity.

Echo jerked back as he felt hands reach for his neck only to relax once he saw that it was Tech pulling at the clasp of his cloak.

“These will have to be put away, I’m afraid. Too high a chance of it getting tangled in the line,” Tech said with little to no apology in his voice. He was probably secretly glad to be rid of his own cloak. Echo helped him off with his and then they pulled off Tech’s to stuff away in their packs. The only thing they left was the red scarf on Tech’s neck, but only because he allowed them to stuff the loose ends deeper into his armor. Next, they pulled on their harnesses and clicked their clips in place, Echo taking the front.

Tech cradled his device against his chest as they shuffled to the edge of the cliff, Crosshair hovering behind them.

It felt like the sniper was going to say something to them before they jumped off the cliff, but before he could his head jerked up in surprise and he cursed loudly, “Heat signatures emerging from the mine! They’re on the move.”

“How many?” Echo demanded, turning his own heat visor on. He blinked a few times, confused by what he was seeing. It just looked like one long and massive line of heat coming out. He thought maybe something was wrong with his helmet until Tech also cursed beside him.

“It’s too concentrated to make out. Droids don’t give off much heat, especially in the cold, but their transport engines do. It looks like a whole army is being sent out.”

“Kark, we better get moving then if we want this to work,” Echo said and all nervousness at the thought of jumping off a cliff went out of his brain as the mission set into his bones. He turned back to Tech behind him, “You focus on holding the device, I’ll catch you on the other side. Ready?”

Tech’s head jerked into a nod, his eyes very wide behind his goggles. There was no time to check if he was nervous though, so Echo trusted he’d be okay for now. He took the last two steps to the cliff edge and kicked off before he could think better of it.

He felt weightless as he sped out into the air. Snowflakes whipped by his face, blurring in the motion as he zoomed across the valley. He imagined this is what it felt like to fly, but he wasn’t quite sure that he enjoyed it as much as birds did. There was no control as he hurtled into nothingness. The only thing that kept him from freefalling was the miniscule angle that Crosshair had shot the rope out at, making just enough friction that he was relatively sure would prevent him from splatting into the face of the next peak.

He knew this ride would only last a few seconds, so he lifted his legs and bent his knees in front of himself, bracing for the impact that was supposed to come.

When it did, it was sudden, the rock face appearing between one second and the next and he only just barely managed to angle himself to absorb most of the impact in his knees and thighs. Even so, he still felt an uncomfortable shock to his hips, but he’d made it without splattering against the rock. He’d call that his third win of the day.

He knew Tech would be right behind him so he quickly flipped around and braced his legs behind himself and held out his arms to catch his younger brother. Just like the rock face, Tech appeared between one second and the next, only he had his back turned to Echo so they wouldn’t collide face to face.

Easily Echo caught his shoulders and held on until he felt Tech slow to a stop, the two of them dangling on the rope together.

Wrecker found his sergeant standing alone at the edge of the town. The only way he’d been able to spot him in the first place was by the glow from the windows of the houses casting his shadow against the snow. It had gone eerily silent since they’d finished their preparations and everyone was sent inside to stay warm. And to spend time with their families in case it was the last time, not that anyone said that part out loud.

Hunter was the only family that Wrecker had out here since the others were still over by the mountains, and that was good enough for him for the moment. It had always been him and Hunter, just like it had always been Tech and Crosshair. Of course, it was better when they were all together, especially now that they had Echo too. Wrecker always wanted a big family, and they found themselves a new member! They weren’t like the regs who had thousands of brothers without even trying. Wrecker had four. That just meant they were that much more special to each other though.

It also meant that it was that much more scary when they were separated.

He knew without asking what it was that Hunter was doing at the edge of town alone on the brink of an attack. They already had a dozen people on look out, including that bartender with all those eyes, so Hunter didn’t need to bother.

Wrecker knew better. Hunter was looking for them.

“Anything?” Wrecker asked as he walked up behind the other clone.

There was a brief pause before Hunter shook his head slowly, shoulders slumping, “Nothing,” he said bitterly.

Wrecker felt himself slump too. He’d been holding out hope that the others may have seen the seppies and run back to them to help, but if Hunter didn’t sense them coming yet then there wasn’t much hope. Now he just wished that they were just holed up on the ship, warm and safe, waiting out the storm before making their next move. But Wrecker knew better in that case too. If they knew there were people coming for them then they would do anything they could to help. It made him wonder if something was preventing them from helping, but he shook off the thought. Working himself up would only make Hunter more upset.

“I wish I knew where they were,” Hunter said so softly that Wrecker almost didn’t hear it over the wind.

Wrecker shifted closer to his brother until he could feel the warmth of the other at his side, “Me too.”

“All good?” Echo asked, oddly out of breath after their flight.

Tech nodded jerkily, his arms still clenched tightly across his chest where he held the device like Wrecker would Lula.

“Okay, I’m going to lower you a bit and you feel for the ledge. Ready?”

Tech nodded again and let his legs dangle loose beneath him as he was gently lowered. Echo felt when his rope went slack and Tech began to check the ledge for sturdiness.

“It should hold us for now,” he reported, “But best keep our clips in place just in case.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Echo said and carefully hopped down beside him. He glanced up at where the hook was still firmly imbedded in the cliff wall, his and Tech’s clips nestled together at the end. They now had about ten feet of range for either of them to walk from where the hook was. It wasn’t much, but the ledge wasn’t that large to start with.

Their comms crackled with static in their ears for a moment before Crosshair’s voice filtered in brokenly.

“--- alive over there?”

Echo commed him back, letting Tech begin setting up his latest invention, “Made it in one piece. Getting set up now.”

“**rry. You ha** two minutes be**** they reach the pass.”

“Roger that,” Echo said and moved over beside Tech, keeping an eye on the pass below them and the younger clone kneeling in the snow.

“We’re aiming for the snow drift on the rock face on the other side of the pass. It should cover the army completely without affecting us over here,” Tech narrated as he aimed the cone part of his device away from the two of them. Echo flicked on his own heat radar and peered down the pass and saw the front of the line getting close, but…

“Kriff, how many transports are there? Will we be able to take them all out at once?”

Tech hummed thoughtfully, cautiously leaning over the edge to look for himself, “Uncertain. We can hold off until they are midway through the pass to hit as many as possible, but if we wait too long then we run the risk of some of them making it past and heading to the town.”

If they were going to do this right then they needed to make sure not a single transport made it to the town. Even one of those making it through meant at least a hundred droids would be set loose with only Hunter and Wrecker there to handle it.

“We’ll take out as many as we can with the first hit. Any left behind here in the valley will have to either turn around and head back to the mine, or they’ll go for the second pass. If they go for the second pass we’ll hit them with the second avalanche there to take out the rest,” Echo ordered.

“Understood,” Tech replied easily.

“A**nowledged,” came Crosshair’s quick agreement that Echo was not expecting. It bolstered him a bit to have the support of the other two so readily, and he felt himself ease back into the feeling of working as a real unit again for the first time since the citadel.

He kneeled down in the snow next to Tech and lay a supportive hand on his shoulder as they stared down at the incoming parade of droid transports. Their timing had to be perfect. It was too risky to let even one pass. They probably didn’t know it, but Hunter and Wrecker would be counting on them to prevent any sort of violence from reaching the civilians. 

“Easy now. Almost…” he muttered into Tech’s ear, unknowingly squeezing the shoulder under his hand as they drew closer, “Now!”

Tech immediately set it off, and Echo almost stumbled off the cliff as a horrendous pressure filled the air, the vibrations making his teeth ache and the metal in his head feel like they were going to shake out of his skull. It wasn't even noise, it was just loud somehow. He was panting and grabbing his head as he peeled his eyes open to see the snow in the air blow away and give them a clear view to the peak across from them just as a large crack was heard and it suddenly looked like the whole mountain began to collapse.

Hunter’s head suddenly snapped up, his eyes wide and alert as he looked off into the distance where the barest shadow of the mountain line could be seen.

“What is it? They finally get here?” Wrecker asked him, his whole body tensing, wondering if the battle was finally about to begin. No alarm had been raised from the lookouts, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Hunter sensed someone coming before the others.

Hunter’s mouth fell open, whisps of white breath escaping his lips as he stared out into the darkness in shock, “I don’t know, I—” he glanced up at Wrecker looking lost and confused, “Something just happened over by those mountains, something big. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

One of nearby villagers overheard them and wandered over with a few others who were on lookout duty.

“Is it them?” they asked nervously, but Hunter just shrugged.

“I don’t know…” he said again, and to anyone else he would seem perfectly calm, but Wrecker could hear the emptiness in his brother’s voice and knew he was thinking about what, or who, may have been around the thing that caused the disturbance. He was already worried enough, and this would just make it worse, but they couldn’t do anything about it now.

Knowing their other brothers, Wrecker would not be surprised if they were the ones who caused it. A part of him was a little jealous that he wasn’t there with them to do whatever it was that Hunter could sense through a storm like this, but most of him wanted to be there to make sure they lived to tell the tale.

Karking storm.

A massive white sheet of snow broke off, revealing nothing but rock underneath as it began to crash down with all the speed and terror of the tsunamis that plagued Kamino.

Echo watched in horrified fascination as what looked like half a mountain came down on the attack force below. The heat signatures in his screen were suddenly gone under thousands of pounds of snow and ice. It was as incredible as it was terrifying.

“I think that’s a new record for the fastest we’ve ever taken out that many droids at once,” Tech mused from in front of him, sounding rightfully smug in their achievement. Echo chuckled to himself, thinking of how Tech would be able to rub it in Crosshair’s and Wrecker’s faces that he’d won their little game this time around. If he wanted to that is. Tech didn’t seem to like that game as much as the other two.

He squeezed Tech’s shoulder under his hand again, “Not bad, little brother,” he said before his words caught up with him. He winced, wondering if Crosshair was still listening over the comms and heard the endearment. He doubted Tech would mind, but the sniper might.

Before anyone could comment further on Echo’s slip up there was a loud curse over the comms as Crosshair’s voice erupted from the other end.

“Another line of transports just came out of the mine! They must have had a two waved attack planned,” he told them and Echo whipped his head back to where he knew the mine was and felt his eyes grow wide as another long line of red appeared, possibly even bigger than the last one.

He looked over at Tech, feeling the dread rising in his gut as the next attack force seemed to speed up towards them, “What are the chances that they believe that last avalanche was totally natural and had nothing to do with some clones targeting them?”

A deafening crash erupted above them, showering them with rock shards and snow, shaking the ledge they stood on.

“I’d say the chances are rather low,” Tech shouted back at Echo and the two of them scrambled to get to their feet and as far away from the edge of the ledge as possible.

“They’re firing at you!” Crosshair yelled out at them.

“We noticed!” Echo shouted back, shielding his head as more rocks fell on them. Thankfully the droids had shot high enough that they were only getting the smaller bits of rock rather than the massive pieces of boulder that were barreling down a few feet in front of them.

“It looks like they’re still trying to reach the other pass while firing long range missiles,” Tech reported crisply.

“So, they’re multitasking, good for them,” Echo snarled and yanked Tech back against the cliff face just in time for a large rock to miss his head. He spared one second to reach up and tug at their line twice, making sure it was still tightly in place to support them if their little ledge suddenly broke off. It seemed okay for the moment, but Echo would rather not rely on it if they could manage.

Tech sighed and pushed Echo off of him as he tried to walk off the other way, “That means if they continue to miss us, we can set off the second avalanche to take them out as well, but we need to hurry and get set up.”

“Are y** mad?! You’ll h**e to unhook the line ** move cl*se enough.”

“And we’ll still be tethered to the line itself, we’re just removing it from our side of the cliff. You have the other end still hooked up over there. Best case if we fall, we just hang there until you can pull us up. Worst case, we may splatter ourselves against the rocks as we swing over,” Tech replied calmly, as if another missile didn’t just hit the cliff only a few hundred feet away from where they were standing.

“Splattering ourselves against a cliff is a pretty serious worst case scenario, Tech,” Echo said, resisting the urge to bang his head against the cliff face.

“For once *** reg and I agree on **mething.”

“Well, I don’t hear either of you making any suggestions,” and Echo could hear the eyeroll in his voice as he continued to shuffle his way over to where their line was tethered to the rock.

“What are the chances of us going splat?”

Tech’s grimace was visible even through his visor, “I am uncomfortable answering that.”

Echo tossed his arms in the air, exasperated, “Well now I’m uncomfortable. Let’s just get this done and hope we don’t have to find out.”

Echo growled and stomped over to Tech, scomp arm already raised to help him free the hook. Tech was unfortunately right. They didn’t have much choice if they still wanted to help the others.

I can’t wait to explain this all to Hunter later, right before he kicks me out of the squad for going through with this stunt, he thought to himself miserably. The line fell loose and they quickly tied off the end to make sure their clips didn’t just slide off. Suddenly Echo didn’t feel as secure as before, but there wasn’t much they could do about it.

Tech was already shuffling away again with his device clutched against his chest and Echo, unfortunately tied to the other clone, had to follow.

Another missile hit the cliff face, this time further than the others. Frankly, it was a miracle at this point that they hadn’t thought to aim for the blankets of snow above them, sending their own avalanche to take out their enemy, but the droids weren’t exactly known for their cleverness or ingenuity. Echo wondered when they would give up, thinking they may have already taken out whoever had targeted their transports, but he was quickly pulled from his thoughts as another missile erupted right above them, sending another shower of rocks and ice down on them.

This was the closest one yet, and Echo yelped as several larger rocks pelted against his armor, making him fall to the ground. In front of him he saw Tech fall too, hitting the snow and reaching his arms up to cover his head. Before he could see what happened to his brother, he clenched his eyes shut and waited for the barrage to end. Echo could already feel blood pooling beneath the skin that would no doubt become some spectacular bruises if they survived this. Once again, he found himself grateful for his cybernetic legs as he heard the tink of rocks bouncing off the metal painlessly.

There were still some rocks falling around them when Echo heard a sharp cry and his eyes snapped open to where he last saw Tech. Frantically, he scanned the ledge to spot the younger clone, not daring to breathe until he spotted his younger brother still there and not falling off the side. The engineer was on his knees though, pawing at something on the ground in front of him while holding one of arms tucked closely to his chest.

“Tech?” Echo called out, hearing Crosshair do the same brokenly over the comms. There seemed to be no more rocks falling on them, so he chanced crawling over to the other clone.

“The device, it got smashed,” Tech said finally as Echo reached his side. He looked heartbroken as he pawed at the debris.

“Kark.” Of course that comm came through clearly from Crosshair.

Echo barely paid any mind to the bits of crumbled metal in the snow as he bent closer to Tech to try and see his arm better.

“Let me see your arm, Tech,” he said gently, but the younger clone pulled his arm away though, shaking his head sadly.

“What’s wrong **th h** arm?” Echo ignored Crosshair for the moment. He’d apologize later.

“It will have to wait,” Tech said, not giving any further detail to his condition and pulling his arm in tighter against him.

“Don’t be stupid. We have some time now, the device is smashed so we can’t do anything else. We just have to hope Hunter and Wrecker can handle them alone,” he said and tried to reach for Tech’s arm again only for him to push Echo away, his eyes lighting up in a way that Echo both loved and hated.

Tech twisted around and began yanking at his pack until it fell into the snow beside them. Another missile erupted on the far end of the cliff, well away from them this time. Echo spared a moment to glance down at the heat signature of the second wave attack force, and noted that they were almost at the pass.

“Now what are you doing?” Echo asked tiredly, but he still reached out to help Tech open the pack since he knew better than most how hard it was to open the damn things with one hand. The engineer dug in deeply, feeling around for whatever he was looking for. Could be a snack for all Echo knew. Tech was unpredictable like that.

“I am doing something stupid,” Tech chirped as he pulled out an explosive from an inner pocket and held it aloft triumphantly.

Echo stared at it in horror as he began to remember his earlier conversation with Tech on why they shouldn’t use explosives to set off the second avalanche.

“**at the kriff does **at mean? Som**** better tell ** what the hell is **ing on—"

Tech continued to set up the bomb in his hands like he didn’t even hear Crosshair’s voice getting louder and more pissed off on their shared link. He seemed to be struggling with only one hand, but he was determined to get it done, as much as he was determined to ignore Crosshair’s cursing that was getting more colorful the longer the radio silence went on. Even Echo wasn’t sure what to say since his mind was scrambling to catch up with Tech’s and the very stupid plan that he was only just beginning to understand.  

“I’m sure you remember my explanation of why this was not our initial plan, so if you do not wish me to continue with this course of action I will follow your orders. You are, after all, on the same precarious ledge of rock that I am on,” Tech said, and it took Echo a moment to realize that Crosshair had gone suspiciously silent right before Tech had spoken. Tech must have switched them to a private line to have this conversation, “I wish to prevent that attack force from reaching the others and the town, but I will not put you at risk against your will.”

And what about putting yourself at risk? Was Echo’s first thought, followed quickly by thoughts of Hunter and Wrecker who may be facing down horrific odds against the incoming droids, and then lastly by an image of Crosshair’s serious face when he’d told Echo that they looked after each other. Only after all that did he think about himself, and that told him everything he needed to know. His brain had already rewired itself to think of his new squad first, before he thought about his own safety. It had been like that before with Fives and the others, and it felt right to do that same here. With them.

Without thinking he reached out an rested his hand on Tech’s wrist for a moment before he moved it to hold the activation lock open for his brother to arm more easily. If Tech was surprised by his sudden willingness to help he didn’t show it, and he quickly took advantage of the help to arm the bomb faster. Between them they only had two fully working hands, but they could make it work.

“Almost got it,” Tech murmured, not even flinching as another missile hit the peak across from them.

He must have found a moment to open up the comm line again because suddenly Crosshair’s voice rang out again sounding progressively more frantic and immeasurably angry by now.

“If someone doesn’t ****ing say any***** in the next ten second, I’ll **** ** *** ** bits, and then I’ll ***** **** ** *** ****ing. You hear me?”

Echo blinked, glancing up at Tech and tilting his head to show his confusion.

Tech shook his head, “It’s best not to translate that at this juncture. Some of those words I struggle to say in polite company. Anyhow, we’re done.”

Echo cleared his throat awkwardly and tapped his comm, “Uh, we’ve got a plan. We just need you to give word when they second wave is in place.”

There was a brief silence before Crosshair responded, each second more making Echo dread meeting up with the sniper again even more.

“…What do you need me to do?”

Echo sighed in relief, “Let us know when the transports are all within the pass. And make sure our line is secure on your end,” he added with a wince, hoping that it wouldn’t come to actually needing it. He and Tech were already crouched in place at the far end of the ledge, getting themselves as close to the second pass as possible, and waited.

Waiting was always the worst when it came to battle. When you were in the action and constantly on the move you didn’t have time to stop and think of the danger you were in. You either acted or you died. Now though, perched just behind Tech as they squinted across the snowy abyss, he had too much time to think about what they were doing, and what may happen if things go wrong. Tech didn’t seem to be faring much better. Sitting still for him was torture on a good day, and now he seemed to be finally acknowledging just how cold it really was and he had begun to shiver now they had stopped moving.

“You’ll need to throw it as far as you can, aiming for the place I showed you before. I’ll set off the detonation one it is within range. I’d do it myself, but…” he trailed off and glanced down at his arm that was still tucked up against his chest. His dominant arm, Echo noted with a grimace. He thought he had spied some blood earlier, but he couldn’t be sure how bad it was yet. Not with how Tech was hiding it. He hated not being allowed to check on it, but he kept telling himself he’d wrestle Tech to the ground to check it as soon as they’d handled the droid transports. They just needed a few more minutes…

“They will be in place in the next thirty seconds,” Crosshair reported at last.

Tech handed him the armed bomb and Echo felt his fingers curl around it as his heart began to race in his chest. He squinted into the distance and bent his knees for balance, pulling his arm back and waited.

“Ten seconds…”

“Now Echo!” Tech shouted and Echo flung his arm forward with all the strength he had.

He couldn’t account for wind velocity like Crosshair could, but Tech was following the trajectory with his visor and seemed pleased enough to nod in approval as it soared through the air.

“Brace yourself!” Tech finally cried and he grabbed at Echo’s arm, pulling them flat against the cliff wall as the next blast went off.

It was nothing like the last avalanche they caused because Tech’s prediction had been scarily accurate. Instead of just a sheet of white breaking off from the mountain they instead saw rock and debris flying everywhere and the fall of snow coming down like a crumbling building rather than a growing wave.

And then Echo felt a strange vibration in his thighs and he tore his eyes away from the collapsing rockslide to where his feet were firmly planted and saw the ground shaking under them.

He didn’t even get a chance to shout out a warning to Tech before the other clone let out a startled yelp, the part of the ledge he was standing on suddenly crumbling away to nothing under his legs. Echo reached out to grab for his hand, but it closed around nothing but air.

“TECH!”

Hunter gasped again, his head whipping back to the line of mountains in the distance, his eyes widened. Behind him he heard more horrified gasps from the townspeople who had gathered after hearing about the first disturbance.

There were cries of shock as they all saw a brief glow of fire light up the sky, even through the snow and clouds. Hunter may have been the only one to see the vibrations coming off of the blast, but the people could make out enough to know that a large explosion had just erupted from one of the peaks.

“No,” Hunter felt the word slip from his lips as he watched the glow fade away, but the vibrations continued to rumbled in his brain painfully.

“No!”

Chapter Text

Hunter felt Wrecker hurry to his side, his expression painted in worry because both of them knew the chances their brothers were over there were high. Spontaneous explosions on any planet that Hunter's squad were on were like their signature, whether Wrecker started it or not. 

“Was that them? Sarge?” he demanded. Hunter could only shrug listlessly.

“That came from the Northern Pass! What are they doing?” one of the townspeople shouted, and Hunter turned to the original group of miners from the bar who were staring stunned out where the glow had faded.

“I’ve got three of my men over there that were sent to gather intel, but I’ve been unable to reach them for hours. They may be trying to help us. You have to tell me, if that northern pass was destroyed, would it prevent the Separatists and Runners from reaching the town?” Hunter demanded, an edge to his voice.

The human man from before stepped forward, “There is a second pass close to there that they may be able to use, but the others are all blocked up during this season. Too much snow in the way and the lake that forms in winter is too unstable to cross.”

Hunter wondered if the first disturbance he felt was the other pass getting blocked off and possibly the second with the explosion, but there was no way to tell for sure. Frustration was building inside of him like fuel poured on a fire. If his boys had managed to block both passes then that either meant they had possibly taken out the droid army, or at least part of it. While that was great for the civilians, it meant that the three of them were on their own handling an incredibly dangerous task in an incredibly dangerous environment. Anything could have gone wrong, and damnit, Hunter wasn’t there to help them.

“What do we do now?” one scared looking Togruta asked and Hunter had to force himself to calm down and think rationally for the sake of the people he was supposed to be protecting.

“We still have to wait and see if anything made it through the pass or if they find another way around,” he said, trying not to growl, “Do we have any idea when the storm may end so we can send scouts out for visual confirmation?” Kriff, he missed having Tech around to answer these kinds of questions before he had to ask.

“We’re only in the middle of it now, will be at least another half a day before it’s safe to send a snow speeder out to check,” someone supplied.

He ground his teeth in frustration, wishing that it was possible to punch a storm.

Waiting was his worst enemy now.

Echo felt the sharp tug of the line on his waist a mere second or two later after Tech had vanished from sight. It was only by the strength of his cybernetic legs that he managed to brace himself enough to prevent him from toppling over the side from the force of Tech’s body falling. He could still feel his feet slipping in the snow however, and his heart rose into his throat as he scrambled to find purchase on the crumbling ledge.

He stabbed his scomp arm into the ground, using it as a stake to hold them in place as he felt Tech’s weight pulling them down. It hurt, but they had stopped slipping if even for a moment while he tried to figure out how to save them.

“What’s **ing on? Are *** both alrig**? Report, damnit!”

Echo panted for a moment, gathering his wits before he replied, and trying not to panic when Tech didn’t respond either, “Part of the ledge fell out under us. Tech got pulled off the side, but he’s still on the line going from the weight that’s pulling me down with it. I’ve got a hold on us for now, but I don’t know how long I can keep us both up,” he rushed out, and he felt his scomp arm begin to shake under the strain.

“Tech, ***t’s your statu*? Can you pull ***rself up?”

Echo held his breath as he waited for a reply, his dread growing with each passing second that the younger clone stayed silent. He stayed as quiet as he could in hopes that even the smallest noise from Tech could be heard, but internally his mind was already screaming like a wounded animal.

Not another brother. Not another brother. Not again. Not now. Not Tech…

The comm crackled and finally Tech’s tired voice came in, “I’m here. I’m…unable to pull myself up.” He sounded awful, even to Echo’s ears.

“He had an arm injury before the blast,” Echo said, cursing himself silently for not addressing it sooner. There would be no way that Tech could pull himself up hurt like that, and with only one hand to spare from Echo himself…there was no way for him to pull up his brother either. Echo instantly felt sick when he came to that realization, even before Tech began to speak again.

“Given my status and the fact that Echo’s scomp arm is all that is keeping the two of us from falling, I would advise that we cut my line loose. The ledge should be able to hold his weight alone until someone can fly the ship to retrieve him.”

“Like hell I’m going to just let you fall!” Echo snarled back, repulsed by the very thought.

“That ledge has become unstable, if we wait too long then we’ll both fall.”

“Wasn’t that the karking idea of the line in the first place? We’ll just swing back towards Crosshair, and—”

“And potentially go ‘splat’ against the mountain as it was eloquently put earlier. At least you stand a higher chance of surviving by staying put.”

“Not helpful, Tech!” Echo snapped back and the bit back a groan as his arm began to scream in protest at being used like an ice pick.

“Eve**one shut up, no one is dyi**. Tech…are y** sure you can’t pull ***rself up?” Crosshair sounded like he was getting desperate.

“I am certain.”

Another loud round of curses erupted from Crosshair and Echo had to sympathize. It wasn’t easy to stand by and listen to his brothers fight for their lives and not be able to do a damn thing about it. It made him think if this is how Five’s felt…

Echo felt himself slip as the ledge under him began to crumble further and he cried out as it tugged painfully at his arm again, “I know what you’re thinking, Tech, and you better keep your damn hands away from that rope!” he shouted angrily, panting heavily now as the weight was beginning to grow too much to hold much longer.

“Just hang ** a little b** longer. We’ll thi** of somethi**, we always do,” Crosshair was sounding worse with each passing moment. Like he was trying to hold the line too.

“We’re running out of time! It’s okay--”

“It is NOT **ay, how can you ev** thin* that it is ok**?!”

“I knew the risks, I—”

“Kark the risks, since wh** do you gi** up?”

“I’m not giving up, I’m trying to give Echo a better chance!”

Echo let their voices fade to the back of his head as he tried to even out his breathing. In his mind, he knew that he had already decided what he would do. There was no question really. He just had to do it. It was just like Crosshair said. Either they all come out of it, or none at all.

“Just *ait! I’m—We’ll **ink of something, ju** don’t cut *** line. Please!”

Echo absently felt the dirt shift around his scomp arm and knew that there was no more time to think of another plan. This was it.

He felt oddly calm as he yanked his arm loose from the ground, and the weightlessness he felt as he and Tech fell loose from the cliff was strangely exhilarating in a way. He’d chosen his brothers over himself. That felt right. It felt familiar.

Crosshair was still pacing back and forth on the other end of the mountain frantically, gripping at his rifle hard enough he was surprised it hadn’t cracked yet. He felt helpless. Useless.

As soon as he saw the first sign of slack in the line Crosshair had immediately known that his brothers were in even more trouble, and he waited only for a moment more to see if it fell completely before he started demanding them to report their status.

Gripping the edge of a cliff.

Tech’s arm was injured.

Echo wouldn’t be able to pull them both up.

And even if he could…the ledge wouldn’t hold them both much longer.

And it got worse.

Listening to Tech calmly tell them he was willing to die just to maybe give Echo a slightly better chance at survival was absolute agony. They all were ready to lay down their lives to protect each other, and had all pulled stupid stunts out of love and loyalty before, but it had always been in the heat of the moment. There had never been time to do more than react before. And there was nothing he could do now besides try to talk Tech out of it.

But nobody knew better than Crosshair how stubborn his little brother could be, and that his brilliant little mind would have already assessed all courses of action and chosen what suited their interests best. It didn’t stop him from cussing him out while trying to change Tech’s mind, but that was just the desperation speaking.

He refused to think that this would be the last words he spoke to his brother, because it couldn’t be.

Tech was his. Had been for as long as he could care to remember. He couldn't lose him.

The small cadet, brought to Crosshair's original batch far too young for their level but having apparently met all the academic requirements early and was forced to advance. He had been the last one that Crosshair ever believed would survive through their rigorous training…only it ended up being that Tech was the only other one to come out the other end beside Crosshair. They had been alone except for each other. It had just been the two of them during that dark time, and Tech had been the only spark of light in their miserable little lives back then. 

The one constant that he had been able to count on his whole life.

No.

This couldn’t be it.

And Echo was new to their team, but he had potential. He’d only barely gotten his feet back under him after losing so much of himself and his old life. Even Crosshair couldn’t pretend to be unmoved by that. The reg would have to be strong to survive losing his brother. His best friend. Crosshair didn’t think he was strong enough to survive losing Tech like that.

“We’re **nning out of **me! It’s okay--”

“It is NOT okay, how can you even think that it is okay?!”

“I knew *** risks, I—”

“Kark the risks, since when do you give up?”

“I’m n** giving up, I’m **ying to give Echo a bett** chance!”

“Just wait! I’m—We’ll think of something, just don’t cut the line. Please!”

He hated how desperate he sounded, but there was no time to try and hide behind his own pride.

But before he could even open his mouth again, to continue begging until he was blue in the face…the line fell again.

And this time it kept falling, and Crosshair felt his heart fall with it.

“NO!”

Chapter Text

The calmness that Echo felt when he let go faded the moment that he caught sight of the cliff in the distance that they were quickly flying towards with far too much velocity. There was no way for them to slow down either, they were at the mercy of gravity at this point and wasn't that just great. 

They were definitely going to go splat. Damn.

“CUT THE LINE!”

Echo didn’t even pause to process the order when he heard Tech shout up at him, he was already using his one good had to pull out his knife from his belt and was cutting through the line before he even realized what doing that would mean. His stomach felt like it rose into his throat as he saw the rope give way, and Echo immediately felt his body start moving in a different trajectory. At the very least they weren’t hurtling towards the cliff anymore, but they were still falling, and Echo wasn’t sure that prolonging their inevitable death by a few seconds was all that worth it. He absently wondered what Tech was thinking and if he'd ever get an answer before they both died.

Until they landed suddenly in a snow drift.

A karking deep snow drift at the base of the cliff.

The last thing Echo thought to himself before he lost consciousness was that snow did not feel as soft to land on as he imagined, and if he'd be alive to feel it in the morning.

Cut the line? What did that mean? If they were just going to be hanging in place, then there would be no reason to cut loose…unless.

Crosshair was on his hands and knees, daring to lean over the side of the cliff as much as he dared, trying to see anything. The rope was completely slack now, no weight pulling it down, so it just swayed tauntingly in the wind below him. His heart was still hammering away in his chest painfully, and he felt sick not knowing what had happened to them. The only reason he could think that Tech would want them to cut the line would be to avoid getting smashed against the cliff, so did that mean they chose to fall to the ground instead? Could they even survive that? How high were they off the ground in the first place? There had to be a reason though. Tech had already stupidly decided that he was willing to die, so why would he bother cutting the line if death was already a certainty to him?

Without knowing it, Tech had given Crosshair just enough of a shred of hope that maybe it wasn't over yet, that Crosshair still had time to save them. That he could still get his little brother back and save Echo.

He’d heard Tech shout that last command before the comm frequency fell completely silent, nothing but static on the other end when he tried. He was trying to convince himself that it was the interference not working that far down where the ore was the densest. It would make sense. It felt better to believe that than…

He shook his head and stood back up.

He had his own choices to make now. He could go back to the ship on his own, wait until the storm was over to go pick up Hunter and Wrecker and bring them back here to search. But that would take too long if Tech and Echo were hurt badly and left out in the elements. The storm was still raging around them and who knew how long it would last. Hunter may have been the best tracker, but his senses would be dulled by the ore…

Well, it was a good thing that Crosshair had already decided he was going to go after his brothers on his own. Not only did it make sense, it was what he was going to do anyway. The cold be damned.

Quickly he pulled up the rope from where it was still hanging uselessly and tucked it back in pack. If he was going to make it down there before he or the others froze to death, he’d have to move fast.

Echo had no idea how much time had passed when he managed to open his eyes again.

At first, he thought he was dead, because he couldn’t think of any good reason why else it would be so dark, and why he felt like he couldn’t breathe. It was cold too, and he felt boxed in...so cold...like ice…

He gasped and his whole body jerked in panic as he frantically tried to move, to fight, to get out of there.

They have me again. Somehow, they brought me back and I’m in that ice coffin again. No. No. No!

He whipped his head up as if to throw off the wires that were once drilled into his skull, but instead of painful tugging or a metal wall…his head popped up and he felt snow fall down his back. He shook his head to clear his visor from the snowflakes that had gathered there. The numbness of his face and nose brought him back to reality, and he realized he had just been buried under some snow. He wasn’t back in the cryochamber, although it was damn near as cold as one, if not colder. He was panting hard, taking in deep lungful’s of air after feeling like he’d been drowning in the snow. Kriff, if he hadn’t woken up when he did, he might have suffocated.

Then it all came back in a rush.

The avalanche.

The second avalanche.

Falling.

Crosshair’s yell.

Tech…

Tech!

He swiveled his head around, ignoring the dizziness that came with the motion, and looked for his brother anywhere among the snow drift they had landed in, but didn’t see him yet. Dread began to pool in his belly. Tech had only been hanging a few feet below him, how far could he have landed away from him?

He tried wiggling his body, taking note of all the aches he felt while also trying to free his limbs. For a moment he was worried that his legs had succumbed to frost bite before he remembered that it was impossible for that to happen. The numbness was normal now. He must have gotten his brain rattled more than he thought if he had forgotten that. At the very least, his arms seemed fine, even if the flesh attached to his scomp arm was very sore from its earlier abuse. It was functional, and that was enough. His head was probably the worst of it, but it wasn’t like he could put a bandage on his brain. It would just need time.

It was by a mix of pure luck, and Tech would probably argue basic physics, that he had landed in the snow feet first. The impact of his landing would have been a lot worse if it had been otherwise. He hoped that Tech fared the same. Snow was not as soft as it looked.

The storm that was still raging above them made it impossible for Echo to even try to guess how much time had passed, or what time of day it was. It was cold and dark. Nothing new there.

Echo wiggled his way out of the snowbank, carefully easing himself out of the hole his impact had created and paused for a moment to catch his breath on the surface.

“Tech!” he called out, but there was no reply, so he tried to activate his comm link again. Only there was nothing but static. Desperate, he tried Crosshair and then Hunter’s. And then even Wreckers. But still just static.

“Kark,” he swore and punched his hand into the snow. He glared down at the offending white powder when it didn’t provide the frustration relief he was looking for, “Oh, now you’re soft.”

He staggered to his feet, cringing when he heard the gears in his knees grind in protest, the metal shrinking in the cold and making everything feel tight. As much as it was awkward to move, he knew that if he stayed still then he’d succumb to the cold even sooner. Already he could feel his blood turn sluggish in his veins and a distinct fatigue take over his body. And he had to find Tech. He had to. The others would be counting on him to bring their youngest brother home.

Everywhere he turned all he could see was white and more white, with bits of black rock poking out. HE was damned lucky he hadn't landed on any of those. He couldn’t see anything this way though, so he clicked on his heat radar and tried again.

Nothing.

Where could Tech had ended up that he was nowhere around him? He had been just below him when Echo cut the line. Where…

Echo looked down and saw the end of the rope half buried under the snow. Curious he bent down and picked it up in his hand. He tried to yank it up, just in case he may need some rope later, but immediately it was yanked back. Echo’s eyes widened in realization, knowing that there would only be one other person tied to it.

“Tech?” he called out again, this time carefully pulling on the line and following it a few feet away from where he was.

The rope tugged back again.

Echo felt his throat narrow with emotion as he nearly fell over his own feet in his haste to follow the line. Dead bodies don’t pull back on ropes. That meant Tech was alive. They had made it!

“Hang on, I’m coming for you. Just don’t let go,” he pleaded, still following the rope until it suddenly angled downwards sharply, “Kriff, you’re buried aren’t you,” he said in horror.

The rope tugged again, more frantically this time and Echo fell to his knees and began to tear at the snow. The scomp connector was nearly useless as a digging tool, but it was all he had beside his one other hand. He had to hurry though. Not only was Tech most likely an ice cube by now, but he would also have had no fresh air to breath! It was a miracle he was alive still.

The tugs on the rope were getting weaker, but that only made Echo dig faster. It felt like an age before his fingers hit something that wasn’t more snow, and he could make out a corner of red fabric. That stupid red scarf! He felt another surge of energy hit him, knowing that he was getting closer and he shoveled it all away until he finally hit something hard. A helmet.

“Oh, thank the Force, your head is a good place to start,” he said, sounding nearly hysterical with relief as he watched Tech begin to turn his face to the side seeking out some air. He coughed weakly and groaned, but he was alive. He hadn’t lost another brother.

“We landed in a snow drift at the base of the mountain. No comm signals. I had no idea where you landed. I couldn’t see you. Even the heat sensors didn’t pick you up,” Echo knew he was rambling, but he knew he needed to keep Tech alert. Not to mention it made Echo feel less alone after his minor panic attack when he first woke up.

He had managed to dig out Tech’s shoulders next as the other clone continued to breathe in deeply, “Snow…insulator. Heat sensors…would only find…faint signals. Muffles sound…too.”

Echo nodded as Tech struggled to speak, occasionally muttering gentle encouragements as he pushed more snow away. If it weren’t for the rope then Echo may have never found Tech. He wouldn’t have heard Echo calling, and Echo would have had no idea where to dig since the wind had long turned the snow drift smooth again. It was pure luck, but he’d take it.

“Were you hurt? How’s your arm?” he asked as he managed to free Tech’s chest and felt his brother start to help pull himself up.

The same injured arm was still tucked firmly against his chest, and Echo was careful not to jostle it too much as he helped pull the other clone out of the snow. Tech was moving very slowly, but he was able to use both his legs and didn’t seem bothered by using his other arm to grab onto Echo’s.

Finally, Tech popped free of the snow and the two of them fell into an exhausted and frozen heap together. It almost felt like those times that they both had ended up sharing a bunk, with Tech laying nearly on top of him seeking out warmth, but instead of the proximity making Echo feel welcomed, he just felt worried.

“I am…stable,” Tech managed to gasp out finally.

“And the arm?” Echo prompted.

Tech twitched his shoulders in what could have been a shrug, “The subzero temperatures…are helping with that actually,” he coughed again, “And you?”

Echo copied the shrug, “Banged my head pretty good and feeling like I just went ten rounds with Wrecker in a fight, but I’ll live.”

At least he’d live if they managed to survive the cold. Now that he had Tech by his side again, he was able to look past his tunnel vision of locating his brother to look at the big picture around them. They were still lost and were probably already well on their way into hypothermia if they weren’t already there. They were injured. They had no way to reach out to the others. In short, they were screwed.

But, he wasn’t one for giving up. And he knew that the longer they lay there, the less chance they had at making it out of this mess.

He rolled onto his side and gently shook Tech by his shoulder, noting absently that he was shivering hard and his eyes were falling shut, “Hey, no going to sleep on me. Neither of us are in any shape to try free climbing up the mountain anytime soon. We’ve got to try and find some sort of shelter. Maybe some rocks to block the wind, or a path back up to where we left Crosshair.”

Tech’s eyes were half lidded, but he managed to nod. Together they both helped each other stand up again. A wave of dizziness passed over Echo again, but one he was fully vertical he felt okay for the most part. He felt Tech move in close, ducking under his arm for him to lean on. Or was it for them to lean on each other? He guessed it didn’t really matter, he felt better having him tucked in close.

He felt Tech wiggling (or was his shivering?) under his arm and Echo glanced down to see him awkwardly trying to pull his data pad out from his pouch with his one good arm. Sympathetic to his struggles, Echo reached down to help him undo the buckle and free the device. Once it was in his hand Tech seemed to relax until he realized that using it with one hand wouldn’t be much easier. Without speaking, Echo took it from him and held it up for Tech to use. If he knew his brother well enough, he was going to find something of use in that handy data pad of his. Quickly Tech began to tap away at it one handed, pulling up a few maps from the collection he had stored there earlier. Echo chuckled to himself, thinking that with the two of them together they just about formed one functioning being.

“If we have fallen directly under the cliff we set out from, then there is one abandoned mine nearby that we can reach by foot. It has no power and showed no signs of activity during our scans, but it is enclosed and will keep us out of the elements,” he said after a moment.

Echo blinked in surprise. That sounded perfect, except for the lack of power, but he wasn’t about to be picky right now. Not when he was still processing that they both survived falling from an actual cliff.

“Right, well, lead the way then.”

Chapter Text

They’d trudged through the snow, with only Tech’s old map for guidance, in the hopes to find anything that would get them out of the freezing wind. It was exhausting work, and after mere minutes they were both fully relying on each other to keep from falling over. Echo could hear his teeth chattering in an ongoing rattle that filled his helmet, so loud that he was almost convinced that Tech must have been able to hear it. The younger clone was mostly silent though, only speaking when he wanted them to shift directions again, and that was increasingly worrisome since Tech was usually much chattier when it was just the two of them. Perhaps he was just tired. Or just focusing on the map. It was so easy to get turned around out here. Echo would be completely lost without him.

He could feel Tech slipping further down the longer they kept moving, no matter how many times Echo heaved him back up. Another sign that he wasn’t doing well in this cold, and while that thought scared him, it also made him push them ahead harder. Anything to get them to that mine faster. To find shelter.

And then suddenly there it was.

Echo could have kissed it if it weren’t for his helmet and the fact that his lips might get stuck to the metal frame.

The mouth of the mine was looking very welcoming right now, even though it was little more than a basic metal frame with the door hanging halfway off its hinges. It was completely dark inside, so Echo couldn’t even begin to make out the details of the interior until he clicked on his night vision.

“No life forms registering inside,” Tech reported wearily. At least he was aware enough to have checked before Echo even had to ask. It was comforting to know they wouldn’t be sharing with any special critters native to this foreign planet. He doubted he could even fight off a porg just then. 

“All ours for the taking then,” Echo said with forced cheer and tried to hurry them inside, but he was hindered by Tech’s feet all but dragging now.

It only took one glance at the door for Echo to determine that they would be unable to close it completely. It had been warped and crumbled with time, and any forced motion would just make it fall apart, he was sure. He’d maybe try to nudge it a little bit to block out as much of the wind as possible later, but he wanted to check on Tech first.

His brother was quickly becoming listless in his arms, as if by seeing the mine his body had finally given up the fight to stay vertical, and that scared Echo even more.

“Just a little further and we’ll get you warm and see to that arm,” Echo said gently, reaching out to tap the side of Tech’s helmet to rouse him a bit. Bleary eyes blinked slowly up at Echo from behind his goggles, but he felt the other clone plant his feet more firmly on the next step, “That’s it, good. Just need to get deep enough that we won’t feel the wind.”

Echo had no idea how deep this mine went, but from what he could see it looked like forever, and there were turns going every which way up ahead. He doubted Tech had any maps of the interior, so he kept to the main passage. The last thing they needed was to get themselves more lost than they already were.

He saw a large mining cart up ahead that had fallen on its side and dragged them both over to it, glad to see it was completely empty inside. He could make this work. Gently he lowered Tech down to the ground and pulled off both of their packs.

“We’re going to build ourselves a little nest here. Just need to line it with some of the cloaks and wrap up in the blankets, and we’ll warm right up,” he said, forcing his voice to carry loud enough to keep Tech somewhat alert. They had a heater with them, all survival packs contained one, and that was the first thing that Echo set up. He placed it carefully to the side and began to lay out any and all fabric they had with them. It would take at least an hour before it warmed the immediate area around them, but for now he was happy just to feel the ghost of warmth kissing his skin. He worked with one eye turned towards his brother, worry gnawing away at his stomach the longer Tech stayed silent.

As soon as he finished setting up the cart that would now be their home away from home, he scooted back over to Tech and helped ease him inside, tucking him as deep as he could manage. It was when he reached out with his hand to hold onto Tech’s arm that he realized something that set off all his warning bells.

Tech had stopped shivering.

There was no way that he had warmed up enough yet for that to happen, not when Echo could still see their breath with every puff, and when he could see the nearly blue skin edged around Tech’s goggles. That meant that he’d reached a very dangerous level of hypothermia and needed to be warmed up fast. He may not have been a medic like Tech or Kix, but knew enough to know it was officially time to worry.

“Kriff, okay, Tech we need to take off your armor and get you wrapped up. Don’t worry, the thermal blacks can stay on. Can you stay upright for a little bit longer while I do that?” he didn’t get a verbal response, but Tech also didn’t fall over sideways when Echo started to tug at the various bits of his gear. The lack of verbal response from the other clone made Echo's heart race in his chest.

He worked fast, only pausing briefly when it was time to pull of the vambrace on his injured arm. Instead of being clenched tightly against his chest like it had been all this time, it was held loosely in place and Echo was finally able to ease it out to look at. Quickly he saw that the casing had been crushed in the center, with some cracks splintering out in webs from the epicenter of whatever hit it. Must have been one of the falling rocks from the cliff, crushing Tech’s arm along with his little device. Echo had seen just how shattered the metal bits of the device were and could only imagine what it would have done to Tech’s arm. Thank the Force for the vambrace, otherwise his arm may have been completely crushed.

He knew the vambrace to come off though if he was going to get a better look at what happened, so gently he eased it off, carefully watching Tech for any sort of reaction. His eyes were still half open, but his blinks were getting slower. The only sound that he heard from Tech was a bit off gasp of pain before he fell silent again. It hurt to hear his brother hurting because of what Echo as doing, but he knew he couldn't stop until he knew the full extent of the damage. Already he feared that whatever lay beneath would be out of his ability to treat, and he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he finally got it off.

The first thing Echo spotted once it was removed was a strange black splattering congealed into crystals on the forearm. It took him a moment before he realized what it was. He’d never seen blood frozen before. That must have been what Tech meant when he said the cold was taking care of his immediate problem. It was the iced version of cauterizing a wound. 

It was difficult to see much else around the blood, so he dug into Tech pack to pull out the medical scanner.

The readout wasn’t great.

Obvious advanced hypothermia aside, his arm was fractured and had a very deep laceration from the impact, one that would have caused some serious blood loss if it wasn’t already frozen up. Still, if he managed to warm Tech up enough for it thaw out, he’d be looking at a freely bleeding wound very soon. He couldn’t treat it as is, not with it frozen up like that, so he’d just have to be ready to act and have bacta bandages in place. The fracture there was little he could do except brace it after treating the laceration. Echo just hoped he could work fast enough with one hand that it wouldn’t be a big deal. Not for the first time he wished that any of the others were there too, anyone who could help him do this right. Echo was only guessing at the best course of action now, and he'd never forgive himself if he acted wrong and Tech paid for it. He didn't think the others would forgive him either.

“No wonder you were unable to use your arm. This is a mess,” he commented, mostly to himself but it got Tech to shift a bit and a sad sounding chuckled fell from his lips. The first sign of awareness he’d seen since they got there.

“And…you?” Tech asked, nearly whispered.

Echo made a show of running the scanner over himself and tilting the screen down for Tech to read, “Mild concussion and early-stage hypothermia. And lots of bruising. I’ll be just fine, so let’s worry about you right now,” he said, gently squeezing Tech’s shoulder as he began to ease him down into the nest of fabric.

“The…others?”

“Still can’t reach them. I doubt we’d get a signal even if the storm ended right now. We’re too deep into the mine,” Echo told him, carefully tucking the blankets around him.

Tech frowned, “Find us?”

“I hope so, but I don’t see how…” it was a worrisome thought. Hunter’s senses would be going haywire with all the ore interfering down here, and any visual sign of the two of them walking through the snow would be gone by now, erased by the falling snow and wind, making it impossible for Crosshair to see them. They still had their heater that was valiantly trying to warm up the frigid mine, and he had blankets and bandages…they could make do for now, but…

Tech coughed weakly, shifting minutely as if he was trying to burrow down deeper into the blankets but didn’t quite have the strength. Echo sighed sadly and reached up to tuck the folds in closer around his brother’s neck, only to catch sight of red.

It gave him an idea.

Reaching forward, Echo carefully pulled the scarf away, wincing when he saw Tech jerk as the cold hit his exposed neck, “Shh, I’m sorry little brother, but I need this. I’ll be right back. Please stay awake.”

He held the scarf tightly in his hand and stumbled back onto his feet, swaying dangerously for a moment before he dared to start running back down the mine. Every foot he moved away from Tech just made his heart hammer harder in his chest, but he needed to do this. It was the only thing he could think of.

The mouth of the mine came into sight again, and Echo gritted his teeth as the cold began to seep back into his thawing skin.

His eyes squinted against the wind as he stepped outside again and whipped his head back and forth until it caught sight of a piece of rock jutting out from the rock beside the door. It would have to do.

Quickly, Echo tied the scarf in place, making sure the long ends were able to freely whip around in the wind without tugging it loose, and stepped back to check his handiwork.

The red caught his eye instantly, waving like a flag that Echo could only pray would catch the attention of Crosshair’s eyes, or Hunter’s senses if it smelled enough like Tech. Did Hunter even have enhanced smell? Maybe not. How would he have survived the smell of their barracks if he did...but just in case, right? It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. He didn’t want to waste any more time away from Tech though, so he dove back into the mine and retraced his steps back.

The soft glow from the heater drew him in with the promise of warmth, but he still dropped next to Tech first to check on him. He released the breath he’d been holding when he saw Tech’s eyes glimmering under the light, even if they were half lidded still, he was awake.

Echo was no trained medic, but there was something urgent that his gut him that Tech needed to stay awake. Maybe it was his own fearful ignorance that told him that sleep just put Tech one faltered heartbeat away from death, or maybe it was Echo’s subconscious screaming out that it didn’t want to be left alone in a cold place ever again. Either way, he knew that he didn’t want to see his brother’s eyes closed right then. Please no.

“Alright, I’m back. How are you feeling?” he asked as he began to peel off his own armor and tuck it off to the side.

Tech looked like he tried to lift his head but didn’t get past even the thought of it, “Tired,” he said finally, making Echo’s stomach drop like they were back in freefall.

“Ah, well no sleep, not just yet. Let’s wait until we’re both a little warmer before we try that,” he said, trying to sound sorry when really all he felt was fear and desperation. Tech sighed, the end of it catching into another weak cough, but he didn’t close his eyes. Victory number four for the day. Although it was a hollow victory at best. Noting about this situation felt like a win.

This was supposed to be their first official mission together as a squad and already Echo had helped lead two of his new teammates into a highly dangerous environment, fell off the cliff with one of them, and left the other stranded and alone…hardly a good first impression.

And that was honestly the least of his concerns right now.

His first and foremost concern was the injured and very young clone next to him. He looked awful like this. He’d only known Tech for a little under two weeks and he’d known him as nothing less than a seemingly endless ball of energy. If Crosshair was genetically engineered to be powered off of spite, Tech was engineered to probably have his own fusion reactor instead of a digestive system. IT would make sense since he never seemed to want to stop and eat. Seeing him so still and quiet was unnerving, and if this was why the others were so protective of him then Echo could fully understand that now.

The overturned mine cart he’d made into their temporary shelter was a decent size for carrying loads of ore, but it was a little cramped when trying to fit two fully grown clones inside. Still, this would be the fastest way for both of them to warm up, at least he hoped. His body didn’t give off heat like it used to, especially now that he was mostly metal bits.

He climbed over Tech to tuck in behind him and ducked under the blankets as quickly as he could to make sure no warmth escaped, but he was startled to realize that there was little to no heat built up under the blankets yet. Tech’s body was still too cold to produce its own and that scared Echo even more than he already was.

“Easy now,” Echo soothed when Tech coughed again, “We’ll get nice and toasty now with the two of us in here. Will just be like all the other times we’ve had to share a bunk lately,” he tried to joke, and seeing the small smirk that fell over Tech’s lips made it worth hiding the fear in his voice to see it.

As tired as he was, Echo knew he had to stay awake as well. Not just because of the concussion, but because he had to take care of Tech too. Falling asleep would be bad for either of them, but he also had to keep watch on Tech’s arm for when it thawed out enough to begin bleeding freely. He’d have to patch it up better, maybe even try cleaning it out. No sleep. Not yet. Stay awake.

“Don’t suppose you have another lecture on snowflakes up your sleeve?”

Tech’s eyelids fluttered, and if he was feeling better his eyes probably would have lit up at being asked to share some of his endless knowledge.

“Haven’t you had…enough snow?” Tech asked slowly.

Echo couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that escaped his lips, “I guess not, but if you have another topic you’re up for talking about I’m all ears.”

Tech smirked, but it was little more than a twitch of his lips before it fell back into a sad frown, “I don’t know if I…” he trailed off into another cough, this one sounding like it came from a little deeper in his chest. Echo didn’t want to think of what that meant, so he decided to pretend it would go away once they were warm.

Echo shushed him gently and reached down to uselessly tug the blankets closer around them, “Then I’ll talk about something, but it has to be something that you actually want to listen to. Otherwise, you’ll just pass out from boredom.” It would be a switch from their usual roles, with Tech talking about anything and everything while Echo listened (and sometimes fell asleep to), but if it helped keep Tech awake he’d do anything necessary.

Tech quirked a brow at him, “What subjects are you *cough* knowledgeable in?”

“Uh, I have all of the GAR regulations manuals memorized.”

“Ah. Best choose…something else if the objective is to stay awake.”

When he glanced down at Tech in surprise, the little brat was smirking again.

“Hush up, you. Fine…we won’t do regulation manuals,” It made Echo pause and think about what else he knew outside of war, battle strategy, and things Tech would already know about splicing and ships. The fact that he struggled with this was a bit sad to him. He never really cared much before that a clone’s life was rather limited in that way, it was all he knew. Literally. They took the same tests, wore the same face, were created for the same purpose. But now that he’d lived a time as a tool for the Techno Union, and now another few scant weeks with this very different squad, it made Echo wonder if there was more to him now and if there would be even more later. All he had to do was listen to a few of Tech’s lectures on other planets and all the wonders they held and he’d known there was so much more outside of war. He envied Tech’s freedom of mind, his passion to learn beyond their little lives.

Echo found himself wishing he was different, if just because he wanted to be more than just a reg. He wanted to be as different as his new brothers.

“I’m not sure what else to talk about to be honest. Before the Techno Union my whole existence was regulations, training with my old batch, then my time as an ARC trooper. I don’t know much beyond that,” he admitted quietly.

“Tell me about…*cough* them.”

Echo glanced down at Tech in confusion, “About who?”

He felt Tech shift slightly closer, probably seeking out heat again. Little missile he was.

“Your first brothers,” the younger clone clarified.

The request surprised Echo, but before he could even question it, he had already fallen into a story of his brothers during their training. How the Domino squad struggled at first, but then formed a formidable and cohesive team in the end. Their rise, their fall, the survivors, Fives, the next fall…Echo went on until he was hoarse, but he didn’t stop. Even as he bandaged and splinted Tech's arm as the blood began to thaw, he continued.

He could feel his own eyes threatening to shut, and he could see Tech’s doing the same, so he pushed, thinking of every momentous part of his life with his brothers. The good and the bad, all the while seeing Tech’s face brighten and shadow along with the stories. It felt good, cathartic even, to share the events. After all, Echo was the last one. No one else would have these memories unless he shared them, and who better than a walking and living data bank like Tech?

Hours must have passed, and Echo had only paused once to re-bandage Tech’s arm once it had begun to heavily stain the last one, and to force them both to drink some water. Tech’s skin was still cold to the touch, but he had started shivering again a few stories ago, a good sign even if it made his teeth rattle loudly.

When Echo had finished the last tale he had with Fives he wasn’t sure what to say next. He didn’t want to talk about the Techno Union, or the Citadel, not yet anyway. He wracked his brain for anything else that might be of interest. Maybe he’d want to talk more about cybernetics? Or Rishi’s orbit? No, he probably already knows…

“Tell me about the jedi.”

The request was a soft one, but it pulled Echo’s attention back to his younger brother who was still shivering under their shared blanket, but his eyes were bright again with curiosity.

“I don’t know much about them, but I worked with General Skywalker a fair bit. From what I’ve been told he isn’t your typical jedi, so I’m not sure if he’ll skew your impression of them.”

“Tell me.”

“Well, I have a few of my own stories on that, but wait until I tell you about the ones that Rex told me. You see, there was this one planet…”

Chapter Text

It was only by pure luck that Crosshair stumbled across an open mine about halfway down the mountain. Of course, it would only be then that he saw even a shred of luck coming his way. Not when he really needed it, but it would have to do. He was probably about ten minutes away from the blood freezing in his veins when he’d spotted it and forced himself to step inside. It wouldn’t do Tech and Echo any good if he froze to death climbing to them, and the storm seemed to have reached its peak just then, the wind so strong it was nearly blowing him backwards. It infuriated him that he was too weak to continue, but he was at a loss of what else he could do. 

He promised himself he’d only be in there long enough to make sure he didn’t succumb too deeply to hypothermia, and then he’d go right back out. Even if stopping made his skin crawl and his stomach churn. Every second wasted felt like cuts on his skin, and he felt raw from it. He’d been trying his comm for anything, anybody, for hours and had not gotten anything beyond static. He was still trying to convince himself it was because the storm was nearly catastrophic by now, but there was little comfort in that. He was halfway down the mountain already, he should have picked up something by now.

But there was nothing. Karking snow was covering everything, so there was no spotting tracks, and even worse, he hadn’t seen any heat signatures. None.

He almost kicked over his heater as the frustration bubbled over, but he turned and kicked a loose rock instead. It wasn’t nearly as satisfying as kicking something into small little pieces, but for all he knew he’d need it to warm up the others once he found them.

No matter how much effort he put into believing they were alive, he couldn’t shake the images of their corpses from his brain. His mind was torturing him with all the possible conditions he may find them in, because he would find them. Alive or not, he’d find them.

He shivered hard, trying to beat away the thought of Tech’s body frozen and stiff in the snow with Echo laying next to him. But it wouldn’t go away. He began to pace, something that would warm him up faster, maybe even distract him.

It made him wish that Hunter and Wrecker were there, if only to be some sort of distraction from his own thoughts. Of all of them, Crosshair was supposed to be the used to being alone during a mission. He was used to it, and he knew it was where he was most effective. But he didn’t feel effective now. He just felt alone.

And cold.

As much as he complained about Tech’s habits when they were forced to share a bunk, he felt himself longing for that closeness, warmth and comfort. Having Tech that close and knowing even while asleep that he was there and still breathing eased something inside Crosshair. Not that he’d ever admit it to anyone but himself. Knowing of that sense of comfort may have been the only reason why Crosshair hadn’t snapped at Echo for obviously seeking out the same thing during their first week together. It didn’t take a genius to know that the reg had been through a lot, and if he found the same ease that Crosshair did by spending time with Tech then who was he to say no. Although, genius may not be the word for it because Crosshair was not certain Tech was even aware of the effect he had on the reg. 

While it did make Crosshair uneasy to think about Tech maybe drifting away from him for someone else, he’d been through this same thing before when they’d joined up with Wrecker and Hunter. Growing pains, Tech had called it back then. Their family was growing and it didn’t mean he cared for Crosshair any less.

And just like he’d had to learn with Hunter, having an extra set of eyes to keep Tech safe and happy was a good thing. Echo had been good for all of them, especially Tech, and even Crosshair couldn’t deny that. Hunter had found someone with experience enough to be a back up, taking on some of the burden of guiding their squad. Wrecker had another brother to add to their family, another friend, and someone who didn’t flinch away from his large size. And Tech had someone to listen to him and have shared interests with.

He didn’t know what Echo had found in the others yet, but Crosshair could see that there was a bond forming between them all. And while Crosshair didn’t quite know what Echo would become to him personally, he was relatively pleased to have him so far. He’d promised to help keep them all safe…and he’d proven that he’d die for them. A little sooner than Crosshair had anticipated.

He knew without a doubt that Echo had let go of the ledge.

He didn’t have proof, but his gut…and maybe his heart told him that it was so. Their new brother had chosen to take the greater risk to himself so that Tech didn’t have to sacrifice himself.

It sounded noble and an easy choice for anyone with a soul, but having the strength to let go of that cliff took more than just petty words and promises. And Echo had already faced down death before. Anyone else would balk at having to do that again, but Echo had done it anyway. He must be karking mad. Just like the rest of their squad. Perhaps he was a good fit.

He desperately hoped that both of them survived their fall.

If only so he could beat them both over the head with his rifle for scaring him like that.

As his fingers began to tingle again with warmed blood, Crosshair glanced out of the doorway at the storm and the swirling vortex beyond it. He could see plainly how impossible it would be to make any sort of progress with it this bad, but even so, his skin itched with the need to go back out. To find them.

Did they know he was coming?

Were they waiting for him?

Were they even alive?

Crosshair snarled and walked back into the cave to find another rock to kick. He’d be stuck here a while yet.

At some point Hunter must have been ushered back inside by Wrecker, because he found himself sitting at the bar again with another warm drink in his hands, thawing out his fingers that were scarlet red with the cold.

“Watch just switched shifts. They’ll let us know if they see anything,” Wrecker murmured as he sat heavily in the stool beside Hunter. Around them the bar was subdued with whispers, but the fear had died down considerably. That was because word had spread about the explosion in the pass, and with no droids or runners in sight, they had to assume the pass had been destroyed. By whom, they didn’t know, but the sense of immediate impending doom had evaporated.

Hunter of course had his suspicions, but as much as he wanted to let the news ease his worried, it really only made them increase tenfold. That explosion had Tech written all over it, and he was assuming the strange vibrations from just before then were also due to his youngest brother. That kid sure knew how to make an impact. It was always a comfort to know that his brothers were looking out for them, and somehow found a way to divert an incoming attack force, but there were too many unknowns for Hunter to feel good about sitting here in a warm bar, with a warm drink, and not a damned droid in sight.

The barkeeper was hovering close by, drying cups and wiping down the counter, even though he’d just finished it mere minutes before. It was odd, but he seemed reluctant to drift too far from the soldiers and kept offering Hunter sympathetic glances. Like he knew that the clone was hurting.

“Wow, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a storm like this before. Not like the hurricanes on Kamino anyway,” Wrecker said after a brief silence, “Do you think they can last for days like the ones back home?”

Hunter felt his heart stutter in his chest at the thought and his head whipped up to where the barkeeper had come over shaking his head, “We sometimes see a storm chasing a storm, like the one you flew in on, but we usually see it quiet down after a day or so. I’ve got a radar in back that may give us an idea of when it will end. Are you worried they will find another way to the town after the storm is over?”

Hunter sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “We won’t be able to know that until we get an idea of the condition of their attack force. They could just be trapped in the valley, or they could have been damaged by the explosion, but we’d need to get a visual to get that information. If they were damaged heavily enough it’s possible that we’ll be able to take down whatever is left ourselves, but we’ll have to check the mine for that. But…I can’t contact my men yet. I can’t even get a read on our ship,” he said the last bitterly, “I…I need to find them first.”

“I hope they’re okay,” Wrecker said sadly, his shoulders drooping heavily.

“Me too.”

A few of the miners from before moved closer, the human male stepping forward, “When the storm clears enough, we can take you over to your ship to look for your men. We have snow speeders that can get us there fast. We want to help.”

Hunter nodded his thanks to them, “I’d appreciate it. Let’s check that radar in the meantime. This thing can’t last forever.”

The barkeeper perked up at that and led them to the back to check the storm’s progress. Hunter felt his heart sink when the radar only showed them in the center of one massive blotch of purple that faded out into navy and then a lighter blue at the far edges.

“We can only safely move when we’re in the light blue areas. Anything worse than that is too dangerous to attempt,” one miner shared.

Hunter sighed and felt Wrecker lean into his side a bit as they processed that information.

“And how long until we’re in the blue bits?” Wrecker asked.

The grimace on the barkeeper’s face was answer enough, but he still dutifully announced that it would still be over half a day before they may see a break. And all they could do was wait.

Hunter hated waiting.

Hours more had passed and Echo eventually had to stop talking when his throat felt like it had shards of glass in it. He tried to keep going, but the raspy sound that escaped him even had Tech wincing in sympathy.

Echo wasn’t sure just how long they both needed to stay awake to be safe but given that his headache was still pounding against his skull, and the worrisome glassiness that was taking over Tech’s eyes he was almost certain that they still needed to stay conscious. But kark if it wasn’t damn near impossible at this point.

And what if the heater went out while they slept? What if he didn’t notice that edge of the blanket that kept slipping off of Tech’s shoulder fell off again? What if the others tried calling for them outside and mine and Echo didn’t hear them? What if Tech stopped breathing? What if the bandage came loose and Tech bled to death? What if Echo died in his sleep and Tech was left alone? Would anyone ever find their bodies?

All that burdened his mind, but it did nearly nothing to help ease the exhaustion.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this tired. Every blink took conscious effort to complete, and he swore that his eyelids must have had glue on them with how they tended to stick. The only thing keeping him awake now that they were silent was Echo having to shake Tech awake every few minutes for the last two hours. It was getting harder and harder to snap the younger clone back each time, his soft brown eyes taking longer to open, and he’d stopped talking long before Echo had. Echo didn’t know what he was doing wrong, or why it seemed like Tech was getting worse. They were both getting warmer, not colder. That was good, right?

Even now that Echo had stopped talking, his ongoing commentary in his head was possibly more exhausting since he didn’t know what to think about beyond everything wrong in that moment.

He didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up.

Echo shook his head violently again, not caring that it made his headache spike and the dizziness come back. It was his latest strategy to stay awake, but it wasn’t working as well as it had. He wished Wrecker were here, his booming voice would have woken the mountains themselves.

Sighing, Echo turned his head to peak down at Tech again, noting that despite warming up he was becoming frightfully pale, and…

“Hey, no sleeping,” he rasped, gently shaking Tech by his shoulder. He started to nudge him a little harder when Tech didn’t react, but he still didn’t wake. It felt like ice water poured down his spine when instead of opening his eyes, Tech’s head fell limply to the side.

Force, he looked dead.

Echo scrambled to his knees and cupped his hand and scomp arm around either side of Tech’s face and tapped frantically, “Tech? Wake up, come on. This isn’t funny.”

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

“Tech? Wake up, please. Come back,” his voice, even as dry and ruined as it was, broke with the emotions that were suddenly shooting through him. Panic. Fear. Love. Desperation. Loneliness. The mine around him was dark to start, but now it seemed like all the light faded away and narrowed down to a tunnel in front of him that he couldn’t see around or escape.

He knew that Tech was breathing, he could feel the rise and fall of his chest under his hand, but he could also hear the rattle in them that was getting more pronounced. It wasn’t as much of a comfort as he’d hoped. Echo was alone again in the dark and cold, and he was losing the one good thing he had as Tech faded. The fear was suffocating.

Where were the others? Were they ever going to come?

Echo didn’t know what else to do besides crawl back under the blankets and pull Tech in close, holding him as tightly as he could so he could just barely feel the other’s heartbeat through their clothes.

“Don’t leave, please. Stay with me…tell me about the snowflakes. Come on, wake up and tell me about the snowflakes. Please…don’t leave me.”

Don’t leave me alone.

Chapter Text

Eight hours later, the storm ended.

Crosshair had left his shelter at least two hours before then after his eyes had picked up a downward shift in the wind and snow, unable to wait any longer to go find his brothers. He hadn’t gotten any sleep, too busy scanning the dark sky for a break to leave in. It had paid off eventually, and he’d stumbled his way down to the bottom of the cliff where Tech and Echo had fallen almost a whole day ago.

He couldn’t feel his toes by then, but as soon as he’d spotted the cliff face his heart had begun to race so fast that he couldn’t make out the beats in between. His greatest worry would be seeing nothing but a mess of gore clinging to the rocks, or two frozen bodies peeking out of the snowbank below. He saw neither in the end, but his heart hadn’t slowed down yet. Because who knew what lay under the snow. There must have been at least four feet dumped overnight after they fell, and they could be well underneath it all.

His heat sensor showed nothing, but that could also mean nothing. Snow was as reflective as it was an insulator and could block most radars from getting a clear reading. He’d learned that in one of Tech’s many lectures that Crosshair had been present to over the years. It was impossible to live with Tech and not absorb a multitude of useless facts, after all. Even Wrecker probably knew more about advanced physics than most just from what he’d picked up from their little brother’s ramblings.

Just thinking of his younger brother was enough for Crosshair to push aside all his darker thoughts and worries and focus back in on the problem. It’s what Tech would be doing.

Right now, he needed a way to check under the snow for any clue as to where his brothers went. Or were. His eyes were once again useless, much like all the gadgets and readings from his helmet’s screen readout. With no Hunter and his overbearing senses, he couldn’t rely on him to track them down. So, what would Tech do…

And he gave up on that a mere moment later. Crosshair shook his head, there was no way he’d ever know what would go through his brother’s head at any given moment, not even after all this time. Tech's brain was about as organized as Wrecker's bunk, with some filing system known only to him. At least there was always taking a page from Wrecker’s book and poking at things with a stick. He just needed to find a stick. He could use that to feel down into the snow. It was a stupid idea, but it was at least an idea.

He pivoted around, looking for any signs of a tree nearby. He was standing in the shadow of the cliff though, and barely any sunlight would ever hit this spot, leaving it bare and depressing.

No sticks. Kark. It just went to show how much of a mess Crosshair was that he was even considering this. A karking stick. What was wrong with him?

He was desperate enough at this point to dig at the snow with his bare hands. He needed to find them, he needed to know. He’d wait here until the seasons changed and the snow melted if that was what it took to find them.

His brain kept telling him he was looking for bodies at this point, and unhelpfully providing gruesome and morbid mental images to go along with that message. He’d probably never sleep again without seeing those images taunting him, reminding him of what happens when he fails his brothers.

That’s what his brain was telling him anyway.

His heart played a different tune, cold and shriveled thing it probably was. It still beat and currently it hurt. And it was telling him that he shouldn’t give up yet. It told him that Tech had always surprised him when he had always assumed the worst. And that Echo had already shown the galaxy his middle finger when faced with impossible odds of survival.

Too many times, when the two of them were so very young, he’d given up on Tech. Brushed him aside as a casualty waiting to happen. A scrawny mistake that should have never made it past the tube. Not worth the eventual heartache it would cause when he succumbed to his own genetics. Crosshair had been so wrong back then, and still carried that regret with him when his mind tricks him into thinking of their past. He’d made a promise to himself, and to Tech, that he’d never underestimate the underdog again.

Echo was an underdog too, he supposed. The lost and found reg who had already lost everything and then some, but still came back kicking even with no legs left to kick with. Crosshair didn’t owe the reg anything yet, but he knew that Tech liked him well enough and had already shown that he was willing to die for the other clone. The least Crosshair could do for his little brother was believe in the reg a little while longer too, maybe.

Maybe.

His brain wanted him to accept the loss so he could heal. To look for the bodies so that he could end the agony of not knowing.

As if he’d ever heal from this.

His heart wanted him to keep moving. Keep looking.

…he supposed he could listen to his heart this one time. It was better than the alternative.

His feet began to move of their own accord, away from the spot he had been so sure he’d find bodies. They took him further away than made any sense. He was a sniper, and he knew his angles and trajectories better than even Tech would be able to calculate. He knew that there was no way that they would have landed down this way, but he kept moving.

If they are buried under the snow back there, then they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. I have all the time in the world to hope, he thought to himself. He could be a master of denial when he wanted. Kriff, his head was a mess. It was like he couldn't think straight without Tech.

He didn’t think he had walked very far when he came to a stop.

Slowly Crosshair lifted his head from where it had fallen, staring at the snow under his feet, ignoring the hot and wet feeling of tears that were coming from his eyes. He blinked furiously to clear his vision enough to stare out into the vast white valley, and down along the edges of the cliff’s rock walls. For a moment it almost appeared like Crosshair had lost all color in his vision, like the world had turned to black and white once his brain had tried to give up Tech for dead. White snow and black rock. Everywhere.

Except there.

Crosshair frowned as he peered down a slope, squinting into the distance when one bright thing caught his eye. It was so subtle that he doubted anyone else would have noticed the little red flag that was whipping around on the edge of a rock, and even with his own exceptional sight he wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at until it flapped around in a very familiar way.

His mind flashed with the memory of a red scrap of fabric that he tugged tight around his brother’s neck almost a whole day ago. He remembered tucking it in under the armor, only for it to come loose as they trekked up the mountain, getting caught in the wind. He remembered how it looked in the wind.

He lost the ability to breathe in that moment, and knew he’d only be able to draw breath again once he had that scarf in his hands again.

It was a clumsy and unsteady scramble through the snow, but there was nobody to see or care as Crosshair tore down the slope, his eyes focused entirely on that small flash of red. If anything came between him and his target he’d shoot it on sight without pause.

As he drew nearer, he could make out the fabric down to the weave, and knew without a doubt that it was the one he’d tied around Tech’s neck. That forbidden morsel of hope he’d been clinging to became stronger now that he’d found evidence that Tech was here somewhere.

He nearly slammed into the rock wall in his haste to grab at the scarf, but that’s what the armor was for anyway, and he barely felt the new bruises forming on his chest as he grabbed for it. He saw no blood on it, and finally he let himself breathe as he scoured it for anything of note. At first he thought it would have just been caught in the rock, maybe it had flown there after falling from Tech’s neck. But no, Crosshair had tied that thing so tight that there would be no way for even Tech’s nimble little fingers to pry it loose so easily (because he knew Tech would have pulled it off otherwise). If it had come off of his neck, then someone would have had to take the time to untie it properly. And then lash it to the rocks well enough it didn’t fly away in the storm…It was a marker of some sort. It had to be.

He only had to turn his head slightly to the right to see just what it was that was being marked. A mine entrance. He pulled out his rifle and held it steady as he crept in closer.

It could have been Tech, or even Echo who tied the scarf there, but Crosshair wasn’t about to believe they were the only ones capable of tying a knot. There would be some runners out here that would love to get their hands on whoever destroyed their little droid army.

His eyes drifted to the frame of the door, taking in the poor state of it, and the deep darkness that lay beyond. There must have been no power in this mine, since nothing was lit, and nothing was warm.

Slowly he moved inside, turning on his night vision view when the light from outside was eaten up almost immediately. Snow had blown into the tunnel a few feet or so, but as soon as he felt his boots hit dirt he glanced down to see a set of boot tracks in the otherwise undisturbed dirt.

Or one set of tracks and two trailing lines beside it.

He may not have been as good as Hunter when it came to tracking, but even Crosshair could figure out it meant that someone had been dragging along another person. The definable set of boots showed to have gone in, out, and then back into the mine, while the dragging set only went in one direction. His heart lurched when he realized it meant that at least one of them was hurt or worse.

His eyes trailed back to where the boots went back out of the mine, probably came back to scout for help, or maybe tie up the scarf, Crosshair thought to himself as he tried to interpret it all. But he knew from the tracks at least that the two who had entered were still there.

His feet fell in line with the tracks in the dirt, and he followed in deeper into the mine. It echoed so loudly in there he wondered if anyone could hear his heart hammering away against his ribcage as he followed the trail.

Please be there. Please be alright.

The further he got in he started to sense a shift in the temperature. Perhaps it was because the wind wasn’t beating against his armor for the first time in a day, but maybe it could have also been…

There. A glow up ahead.

A survival kit heater. He and his brothers had huddled around those enough times that he’d know that glow anywhere.

He ran the rest of the way, like an insect drawn to flame.

Up ahead another bulky and shadowed object appeared, a mine cart it looked like. And in front of it was the familiar standard issue heater glowing a few feet away from a few folds of blankets there were spilling out from inside.

He fell to his knees and slipped the last few feet in front of the minecart and sat there panting as he took in the two very still, and very silent bodies tucked inside.

He choked as he felt his throat close up at the sight of Tech and Echo curled up against each other, eyes closed and their faces far too pale. Neither of them was moving.

They looked dead.

No…

Chapter Text

Come on, come on…almost there.

Hunter could see the Marauder in the distance as the team of snow speeders raced across the lake to her hull. As promised, the townsfolk had gotten together to transport them over to the ship to look for his missing men, but the turnout had been a bit more than Hunter had expected.

At least two dozen speeders were lined up, along with several other snow bikes, all with heavily armed civilians proudly standing beside them to escort the two clones who had been willing to protect their homes and families.

“I know Wrecker is big, but one speeder should be more than enough to carry us across,” he’d tried to joke to cover his shock.

The lead miner had shaken his head, “We want to be prepared to help you find your men no matter what. They were most likely the reason that the droids and runners never made it to town last night, and we owe it to them, and you, to make sure they make it home alright. If they aren’t on the ship, all of us are prepared to help you look for them on the mountain.”

“And the weapons?” Hunter asked with a raised brow.

The human shrugged, “We were ready to take back our way of life by force last night, and that hasn’t changed. If we happen to stumble across any survivors over there, then we plan to follow through on that. We’re done cowering.”

Wrecker laughed and slapped the nearest miner on the back, “Alright! That’s what I’m talking about”

As much as Hunter hated getting civilians involved, they weren’t wrong. This was there fight as much as it was the clones, and if they wanted to stand their ground then who was he to get in the way? And if his boys were in the hands of the surviving seppies or runners, then Hunter would need all the help he could get.

Force help them if his boys were hurt by their hands.

“There it is!” Wrecker shouted as they got close, waving his arms over his head and calling out cheerfully for his brothers. Hunter doubted that Tech would fire on them from the ship without confirming who it was first, but at least Wrecker was making it easy to spot him.

He tapped on his comm, frowning at the static that still greeted him when he tried to raise them. Maybe communications were down after the storm? He squinted into the distance, but he didn’t see Tech fiddling with the antennae on the hull…

A sense of dread began to pool in his gut as they pulled in beside the darkened ship.

Hunter scanned the area around them with his eyes. There were no footprints in the snow, even though he knew Crosshair would have wanted to scout the perimeter. The lights were off inside, even though he knew that Echo hated the dark. And there was no Tech poking around the engines outside, the roof was still completely caked in snow…And no ramp was lowered when they moved in closer.

“Maybe it’s still too cold to leave the ship?” Wrecker said when he also began to pick up on the eerie silence of the ship. The miners stayed beside their transports, all nervously exchanging glances at each other. He could hear them whispering that the snow around the ship was completely undisturbed. That it looked like nobody had been there since the storm began.

Hunter didn’t respond to his brother, he just let his feet lead him closer as he activated the ramp to lower for them.

Inside was dark. And cold.

They had plenty of fuel before they left. Heating the ship wouldn’t have been a problem.

Hunter stepped into the center of the ship and slowly turned in a circle. There were signs of the others being here after he and Wrecker had left, but no recent signs of life. The weapons rack had been stripped of several items, blasters and explosives (so it had been them who blew the pass). Their bedding and laundry had been dug through and left half scattered on the floor. Three survival packs were gone…

He heard loud footsteps coming up behind him, “Hunter, they’re saying there are no tracks outside of the ship anywhere,” Wrecker said in a low voice. All of his earlier enthusiasm was gone in the wake of coming back to an empty ship.

Hunter felt empty too.

“They didn’t make it back after they blasted the pass,” he whispered to himself, the horror of the statement dawning on him as he thought of everything that could have happened to prevent them from coming back to their only known shelter. The storm had raged for half a day after that. Where were they? Why weren’t they here?

Where are my brothers?

Crosshairs hands trembled as he reached out towards Tech.

There was too much blanket in the way to tell if he was breathing, but Crosshair could smell blood in the air and it made him feel sick that he couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

The tips of his gloved fingers brushed against Tech’s cheek. It was cold to the touch. Tech didn’t move.

His fingers curled under Tech’s jaw, lifting his head up gently so Crosshair could see his face better, “Come on. Wake up. Please don’t be dead. I’m here now, I’m here,” he heard the words falling off his tongue, helpless to stop them as he begged internally and externally for his brother to still be alive.

He glanced over to Echo, and saw he hadn’t moved at the sound of his voice.

Neither of them was moving.

He still couldn’t tell if they were breathing.

“No, no, no, you can’t lead me here just to be gone already. Wake up, please,” Crosshair ripped off his helmet and tossed it aside, he wanted to see them with his own eyes and not through some visor. He bent over Tech and scooped his limp body up in his arms, pulling him away from the cart and closer to his chest. He felt his heart crumbling away the longer Tech remained still and silent.

What do I do, what do I do? Am I too late? Come on, wake up...

Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of movement, and he glanced over to where Echo was laying just in time to see the reg shoot up from the ground with a cry. His eyes were wide and wild as he began to tear at the blankets beside him, frantically looking for something. As relieved as the sniper was to see Echo apparently very alive, he admitted seeing him wake so suddenly had scared the kark out of him.

“Tech? Tech?!” Echo cried out, his voice nearly shrill with panic. And then he spotted Crosshair staring at him shocked, Tech still bundled in his arms.

Echo nearly fell over in the tangle of blankets as he scrambled over to them, cybernetic limbs flying in all directions like he’d lost control of them, “Kriff, I fell asleep. I’m so sorry. Is he okay? Kark, is he alive? Tech?” then he moaned and nearly fell on his face in the dirt, one hand held up to his head. Whatever came over him, he shook it off and forced himself the last few inches over to them in a lurching crawl. Crosshair didn't even have time to respond before Echo was crowding over Tech's body.

“Tech? Come on, vod’ika, please,” he whispered as he pressed his fingers to Tech’s neck while Crosshair watched, breath held as he waited.

Echo finally let out a gasp and he nearly collapsed on the two of them as he went limp with relief, “There’s a pulse. He’s still here.”

Crosshair would have gone limp too if he wasn’t too busy holding up two obviously injured clones in his lap. Without his helmet on, Crosshair could see the large lump at the back of Echo’s skull that could have only come paired with a concussion. No wonder he fell asleep.

“You’re injured,” Crosshair said finally.

Echo nodded, still not taking his eyes off of Tech, “Just a bump here and there. I’ll be fine. Tech though…” he braved a glance up at the sniper, and he looked exhausted and like he was ten feet deep in the trenches of regret.

“What happened?” asked Crosshair, the question having been haunting him for too long.

Echo sighed and began to tuck the edges of the shifted blanket in around Tech’s body, “His arm got crushed in the falling debris, fracture and a nasty gash. Then when…we were falling, he told me to cut the line. It was what kept us from going splat I guess, and we landed in a snow drift instead. He was buried for a while before I found him. He was awake then though, and we were able to find this place, but then he was struggling to stay warm, and stay awake. I tried to keep him awake, I swear I did, but then I couldn’t talk anymore, and…” Echo’s voice began to break and waver as he spoke, “…then he wouldn’t wake up, and I tried. I did. I tried to stay awake to keep him warm, but—Kriff, I’m sorry. I should have done a better job. I--”

“You stayed with him, and kept him alive this long. That’s all that matters,” Crosshair said finally, cutting him off, “Thank you,” he added, surprising himself with not only the words but at the honesty he felt in the statement. He was still frightened out of his mind at finding Tech like this, but it could have been so much worse. He owed that to Echo, he supposed. If it weren't for him...who knew what would have happened to his little brother.

Even Echo seemed surprised, his head snapping up to stare at the sniper in shock, despite it probably making his concussion throb with a vengeance. “He looks comfortable there,” he said, jerking his chin at the two clones. It was obvious he was subtly referring to the ease in which Crosshair was embracing his younger brother. Crosshair was not ignorant, and he was hardly blind in any sense, to the fact that he did not give off any sort of warm and comforting personality to the average eye. He knew that holding Tech like this must have appeared as something out of character, but if Echo only they knew…

“He means a lot to me,” Crosshair admitted softly.

He heard Echo bark out a sharp and painful sounding laugh and he reached out to run his fingers through Tech’s short cropped hair, “Yeah, he’s an endearing little brat, isn’t he?”

Crosshair couldn’t help the small smile that formed on his lips, because Echo was right. He was about to ask if they’d been able to contact anyone when he felt Tech’s body jerk in his arms as he let out a wet sounding cough before falling eerily still again.

The two older clones stared down at Tech’s slack face, waiting for…anything. A twitch, a blink, any sign of waking, but none came.

“It’s getting worse,” Echo said darkly.

Crosshair assumed he was referring to the cough and thought back to when Tech had first started sneezing over a day ago. For it to develop into a cough like that this quickly was not a good sign.

“Do we have antibiotics?”

Echo nodded, “Two shots, but I already used both for his arm and he’ll need more soon to keep whatever this is in check.”

Nodding absently, Crosshair turned his attention back onto the still form in his arms, listening closely now to hear the constant rattle that came with each breath. Clones like them were inoculated against most common illnesses, so for this one to slip through must have been a nasty sort of bug that needed fast treatment. Something they didn’t exactly have available.

“There should be more back on the ship…” he muttered, brushing his hand over Tech’s forehead, noting the sheen of sweat that was starting to appear there. It would take another half a day at least to walk all the way back to the ship, but it was possible he’d be able to fly it back in mere minutes after that. Then at least they could move Tech to a real bunk and crank the heat up for both him and Echo to fully recover. Hunter and Wrecker would just have to wait a while longer, that’s all. They would understand, and even if they didn’t, Crosshair really didn’t care who yelled at him as long as it helped Tech survive.

“Keep watching over him for me,” Crosshair said suddenly, gently transferring Tech’s body back beside Echo. He continued to tuck the blankets it again, ignoring Echo’s sputtering.

“What? Where are you going? You just got here!”

“He needs more medicine, you need more rest, neither of you are up for walking, and I’m not Wrecker, otherwise I’d carry your sorry asses back to the ship with me,” he snarled back, his inadequacies making him bitter. As much as it was killing him inside to leave Tech like this, he knew that Echo would take care of him. He’d heard the reg call Tech his little brother, and knew that he meant it. That kind of bond was hard to replace after losing it before, so Crosshair knew that Echo would not use the term lightly. He could trust Echo. He could do this. He needed to do this.

His head was spinning in circles, and he felt the edges of his vision turn grey, but he knew what was needed. There was a tremor in his hands as he pulled them away from his little brother, and he wondered if it was his emotions slipping through.

Echo was still rambling about something as Crosshair gathered up is helmet again and moved to stand up. Only he wasn’t sure if he ever made it up. It was like someone had turned off the lights in the mine, and his body suddenly slipped away.

His last conscious thought was that he hoped they stayed warm enough until he got back.

Chapter Text

“Let me guess, you’ve been going nonstop since we fell, am I right?”

Crosshair blinked and found himself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling made of dirt and beams. That had been Echo’s voice. He sounded very close.

“What happened?” How long have I been like this?

“You were running on empty for a whole day and thought prancing around with hypothermia was a good idea.” He sounded agitated, but that was hardly anything new with the reg. 

Crosshair wrinkled his nose, wondering in what galaxy he would ever prance around, and tried to remember what Echo was talking about. He let his eyes fall shut again and tried to think back to what he remembered. Snow. Lots of karking snow. And it had been cold. An explosion. He’d been looking for something…

“Tech!” he shouted and was about to shoot up from where he lay, only to be stopped by a hand pressing firmly on his chest.

“Stay down, your core temperature is still too low, and you’re severely dehydrated. How you managed to dry up like a raisin while surrounded by crystalized water is beyond me,” that was Echo’s voice again, and he turned his head to where it was coming from only to see Tech’s profile beside him. He stared at his brother’s face for a moment, noting the flush that had appeared on his cheeks. The only color left in his face. His breathing sounded worse, like he was trying to pull air through a wet cloth.

There was movement on the other side of Tech and he spotted Echo laying there, the two of them bracketing either side of the younger clone. At least the reg didn’t look worse since the last he’d seen him, but Crosshair could still see the mismatched pupils from where he lay and knew that he was far from recovered. Slowly, Echo pulled his arm back from where he had reached across to push Crosshair back down.

“How long?” Crosshair asked, and he winced when his throat felt like sandpaper was rubbing inside.

“Few hours. You should drink something,” and a water canister suddenly appeared in front of him. While he drank he took stock of himself finally and noted that he felt like his whole body was weighted down with boulders and that his head ached like there was a knife stuck through his ears. None of his limbs were responding well to his attempts to move and he felt his lips curl into a snarl as he tried to sit up.

Echo sighed loudly and reached over to push him back down again. It was just more evidence of how weak he was that Crosshair couldn’t resist the gentle force.

“Just stay down. You’re not going anywhere like this. We’ll just have to wait until one of us is better, or the others come find us. You need rest,” Echo chided, sounding exhausted.

“I need to get out of here and go get help.”

“No, you need an IV and restraints. You will only make it harder for Hunter to find us all by splitting up and may even throw them off the trail by leading them somewhere else. Not to mention you’d probably end up dead before you even make it to the top,” this time Echo did not hold back as he verbally lashed at Crosshair.

As much as it killed him, Crosshair knew he was right. Right now his body would fail him before he even reached the exit of the mine like this. But Tech still needed help…how could he just lie there while his brother grew sicker with each passing hour? What were Hunter and Wrecker even doing? Would they even know where to look? Were they even looking for them?

“Just rest. Help me keep him warm,” he heard Echo whisper, and he felt the reg shift closer as his arms wrapped around the younger clone between them.

It wasn’t much, but Crosshair had been a source of warmth for Tech many times before. On cold nights back in Kamino, when another of their brothers failed to return after their tests. Or on the colder nights when it was just them and even the ghosts had left them behind. He’d gladly be that for Tech again. Even if it was all he could manage just then. He turned on his side and let his arms encircle Tech too, not even caring that they brushed against Echo’s. The reg was probably cold too anyway.

Crosshair tried to push the self-loathing aside and promised himself and his brother’s that he’d get them help soon. He just needed to rest…a little…more.

A dark cloud had fallen over Hunter’s head, more daunting and foreboding than the storm had ever been. Coming back to an empty ship, with no sign of his brothers anywhere, had ruined any sense of peace and balance that Hunter had. The scales were crooked when it was only him and Wrecker not knowing what lay on the other end, and Hunter could practically feel himself sinking further down the longer they all just stood there.

The townsfolk were all gathered around their speeders, talking lowly amongst themselves while Wrecker and Hunter hung back by the ship. Alone.

“Can you feel them at all?” Wrecker asked gently, but even so, the question stung like Hunter had been slapped in the face.

“No,” he spat out, frustrated with himself that he couldn’t even help Wrecker feel better in that moment. He ran a hand through his hair and tugged sharply on the ends, trying to make himself focus, “The mountains and the ore they contain are messing with my senses. It’s like looking into radio static.”

Wrecker sighed and his large shoulders sagged for a moment. The larger clone was worried like Hunter, he could tell, but he was doing a much better job at keeping his head than his Sergeant. Wrecker was more reactionary, and the unknown to him wasn’t as much of a concern as it was to Hunter or the others because nothing much had happened yet. He was worried, yes, but as long as there was a chance that the others were fine, Wrecker would keep it together. Hunter had to do the same, even if it felt like acid was slowly eating away at his insides.

“We’re going to look for them, right?”

Hunter glanced back up at his brother, “Of course we are. We just need to know the best way to approach this. We don’t know what we’ll be up against up there, or where to start looking first.”

Wrecker shrugged, “Can’t we just fly the ship up there and look for them?”

Hunter shook his head slowly, “We could, but we would run the risk of alerting anyone inside the valley to our presence. They may have the others captured, and we don’t want them to get any ideas. We need the element of surprise on our side.”

Groaning, Wrecker kicked at the snow, “Aw, I hate stealth missions.”

“I know, but if we give them too much time to react after spotting us then who knows what they may do. They could have a whole army still trapped in there for all we know. We have to be smart about this,” Hunter cautioned, and reached out to squeeze his brother’s arm.

Wrecker chuckled sadly, “Smart like Tech would be, yeah?”

Hunter’s lips quirked, “Yeah, and stealthy like Crosshair. And if we hurry along, maybe we can match Echo’s efficiency.”

This time Wrecker’s laugh was genuine and loud, drawing the gazes of a few of the miners across the snow. “Ha! No matter how quickly we find them, Echo will probably still think we took too long, right?”

Hunter worried that Wrecker was probably right, but not for the reasons he thought. There was no way that the others would wait this long to check in if they were able, not since Tech and Crosshair knew very well by now how much Hunter would be affected by the prolonged absence. And not with Echo being the most responsible of the five of them. Still, he forced himself to smile once more for Wrecker, even if it was fake.

While Hunter may not have been able to sense his brothers, or anything beyond the mountains, there was no mistaking the growing presence behind him, and he turned around to see the miners coming up to them.

Once again, it was the human miner who stepped forward, his eyes as hard and steely as the ore they worked with.

“We know of a way to get into the mountains without being spotted,” he said and pointed to a rocky point not far from where they all stood, “A lot of these mines are interconnecting, with a few entrances on this end. Anyone who wasn’t familiar with the mapping could get lost for days inside, but we can take you right into the valley. Kriff, we can maybe even take you to the mine that the runners have been using as their home base.”

“Could be dangerous,” Hunter warned.

“We meant what we said before. We want to help and we’re done hiding.”

Hunter and Wrecker glanced at each other and shrugged. It was the best option they had.

“Lead the way.”

Echo kept watch over the two younger clones after Crosshair’s body had finally shut down enough for him to fall asleep, rather than unconscious, for a while. He had scanned the sniper when he had passed out the first time, terrified that he’d find out that Crosshair was somehow dying on him, but thankfully he was in much better shape than he’d first assumed. Not that “that shape” was good. It just wasn’t inches away from death. Not yet. Not as long as Echo managed to keep him here to recover a bit.

He knew that Crosshair would have never made it up even just the one side of the mountain before he would have collapsed and succumbed to the cold and his own recklessness. And even after some rest, Echo knew that it would still be a while yet before either of them was fit enough to make that journey. No matter how stubborn each of them were. If Tech got worse though…and if Crosshair found the strength to stumble away…he’d end up losing them both. He knew it. There was no way for the sniper to safely get back to the ship for help, not without a high possibility of falling, getting hurt, or killed, or even sick like Tech was. Meanwhile, Echo still couldn’t sit up without feeling like he would pass out. Useless.

He had thought about going outside of the mine, taking Crosshair’s rifle with him, and shooting it in the air as a signal. But then he remembered that they may not be the only ones left in the valley. He could possibly draw and remaining droids or Separatists to their location. The scarf was innocent enough that they would over look it on the off chance that the came across it, but it was much harder to ignore a rifle being blasted into the air. None of them were up to a fight just then. It would be too easy to pick off three injured clones if they were found by the enemy.

A few hours had passed since Crosshair had fallen asleep, and he was still curled protectively around Tech, much to Echo's amazement. It was strange to see them like this, but Echo had heard both Tech and Crosshair allude to sharing bunks frequently before, so it really must not have been that strange to the two of them. Echo supposed he was mostly struggling to see the two of them like this because of what most would assume would be some major personality clashes getting in the way.

But seeing them fit together so easily now, it made Echo think of what it must have been like for them when they were young. Before they had lost their first batch, and after they had lost everything. Echo knew what it felt like to lose everything, but his suffering had come when he was far more mature than two little cadets. He couldn’t fathom what it must have been like for them. He wondered if they still felt the same loneliness that Echo still felt when the dark felt like it was closing in, when he felt his skin prickle with cold.

It's no wonder you’re so close despite being so different then. If I still had any of my brothers left, I’d never want to let go either.

Even as he voiced that thought in his head, Echo’s arms unconsciously tightened around the two clones he held, surprising himself when the loneliness he’d felt for ages now didn’t seem so suffocating.

Now look what you’ve gone and done, Echo. You found yourself a new set of brothers to fuss over. Now we’ll never got that permanent worried frown off your face.

He smirked, thinking that is exactly what Fives would have said if he saw his twin now.

They care about you…Take care of them, Echo.

“I’m trying,” he whispered as he buried his face into the lee of Tech’s shoulder, trying to find any signs of the warmth he was used to finding there, “I don’t want to lose them.” His face crumpled as he felt Tech’s chest stutter under him before it caught in another wet cough. It sounded like he was drowning, “But I am…I’m losing him.”

You haven’t. They’re right there. You’re not alone, and neither are they.

Well, even if he wasn’t going to let himself lose his new brothers, he may just end up losing his sanity if he kept having conversations in his head with his long dead twin. But nobody needed to know that besides Echo. He’d take whatever comfort he could while he waited for the others to wake. As much as he’d like to have someone real to talk to, he wasn’t sure he was ready for Crosshair to wake up since he knew it would just start the sniper on his plan to go back to the ship.

What he’d really like was for Tech to wake up, just so that Echo could pretend that the other clone was getting better. Maybe to hear him talk again about something small and innocuous, yet somehow extraordinary to the younger clone. To feel that same warmth that Echo had gotten used to since joining Clone Force 99. Had he really only known these men for a few weeks? And already Echo found himself attached to them like they were already a part of his tattered soul…mending it in ways that Echo was sure should have been impossible.

I can’t lose this now. Ever again. What do I do, Fives?

Just hold on and trust in your new brothers.

Tech jerked again as his body tried to expel more of the fluid that was gathering in his lungs, and Echo held him tighter until he fell silent again, whispering gentle encouragements in Tech’s ear. All the while Tech never reacted like he’d heard anything, and his eyes never opened. His skin was beginning to feel warm. Too warm.

“Just hang in there, little brother. I’ve got you. I’m not letting go,” Echo whispered.

Chapter Text

The ore surrounding him was like static around all parts of his body. Like every limb and patch of skin was tingling as sensation was lost even more than before. It was hardly the first time that Hunter had his enhanced senses cut off from him, but this was the worst that he could remember. His head ached with each new step they took deeper into the mountain, and it was getting harder to focus on the path ahead.

It was a miracle that he didn’t have to lead down here at least, and that the sure footed miners ahead were the guides, but it didn’t exactly ease his mind about the situation.

He could fight without his senses, the Kaminoans had seen to that with their training, but this wasn’t like a sensory deprivation chamber, with the world cut off from him. This was more like suffocating in his own brain. Like he was cut off from the world. It was maddening. And yet he still tried to stretch out his senses, ignoring the way it made the ache worse, just because he was that damn desperate to feel the others again.

Even with Wrecker right beside him, so close their shoulders would brush up against each other occasionally, it was more like a glint of a shadow teasing him on a wall. It was taking every ounce of self-control he had to keep himself from losing control and screaming out his frustration. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he just knew that the others were alive somewhere, waiting for them. But damnit, he didn’t even know that!

“Breathe easy, Hunter. We’re going to find them soon,” he heard Wrecker promise beside him. Like he’d been listening to the sergeant’s thoughts. He felt Wrecker’s hand close over his shoulder tightly, squeezing in a way that felt familiar. Like they had been doing to each other since they were cadets together. It grounded Hunter just enough that he didn’t feel like the world was falling out beneath his feet, even if just for a moment.

“I know you’re worried, but we’re gonna find ‘em. You’ll see.”

Hunter envied his brother’s optimism, but it was hard to stay hopeful when it felt like the very walls of the damn mine were closing in on him and their suffocating ore. He could feel his chest tighten more, only to loosen when he felt Wrecker move in closer, wrapping his entire arm around Hunter’s back. He couldn’t even find the air to whisper false platitudes back at his brother.

“Breathe. Like how Tech showed me last time we got stuck up in that tree, yeah?”

Hunter did remember and began to frantically count off by fives. In and out. In and out. Slower now. In and out. In and out…slower…

“That’s it! And now you know how I feel when I get stuck somewhere up high,” Wrecker laughed, and slapped him hard on the back, “And probably how Crosshair feels stuck somewhere small.”

Hunter nodded, his control slipping back into place again, “And how Tech feels about spiders?”

Wrecker chuckled, “We’re not supposed to know about how he feels about spiders, remember? Crosshair would shoot us all if Tech ever found out we knew.”

“Then it’s probably best we warn Echo next time we see him,” Hunter replied with a wink before he froze and thought about what he just said. His brain had automatically assumed that they would meet up with Echo again, and for a moment Hunter had forgotten that it may never happen. His face fell, and he saw Wrecker’s fall too when he saw his brother fade out again.

“I still can’t feel them. We’re supposed to be getting closer, but there’s still nothing,” Hunter admitted after a pause. Somehow his feet were still moving under him, unconsciously following the line of miners ahead.

Wrecker shrugged, “Well we are inside a mountain.”

“I know, I know…it’s just…being cut off this long is killing me. I want answers.”

“And we’ll get them! We’re already halfway to the runner’s base. We just got to go a bit further.”

Hunter sighed feeling defeated, but he nodded. He would get answers, even if he had to take it in blood and oil from whatever tried to get in his way.

Echo’s hand rested on top of Tech’s heaving chest, letting the rise and fall of it ease his mind as best it could while he waited.

Waited for Tech to wake up.

Waited for Crosshair to wake up.

Waited for himself to recover.

Waited to be found.

Waiting to be saved. Again.

So much kriffing waiting.

In his other hand he held the med scanner tightly enough that his fingers had gone ghostly white. Every few minutes he impulsively scanned the younger clone beside him, noting the deterioration of his condition, the lowering oxygen levels, and the steadily increasing temperature of his body. Hours before Echo had been worried Tech’s core temp was far too low, but now it was bordering on dangerously high as it tried to fight off whatever bug had snuck past the clone’s biological defenses.

Perhaps it was a mercy that Crosshair was still out of it, fighting off his own exhaustion. If Echo felt this scared at watching someone he’d only known for a few weeks slowly slip away, he could only imagine how Crosshair would feel. Echo felt like his soul was splintering again after it had just barely begun to mend. It made him wonder why he’d ever let anyone in again, just so he could go through the same agony all over again. Why torture himself like this?

Maybe Crosshair was right in pushing away everyone from the start, not latching onto everyone who offered a chance at friendship, or even brotherhood. How much pain had Crosshair saved himself by putting up barriers that only a few ever managed to sneak around? Why couldn’t Echo do that?

Because you don’t want to be alone. That scares you more than the pain of loss ever could. You chose to love again. And that’s not cowardly, that is an act braver than you could imagine, Echo.

Echo didn’t feel brave in that moment though, no matter what the imaginary voice of his twin was saying. He felt terrified.

His hand trembled as he pulled it out of the blankets and raised it to take another scan.

Hours later, the miners signaled for silence and all of them crouched low.

Up ahead Wrecker could just barely make out dim lights strung up along the sides of the walls, and the faint murmur of voices up ahead. He glanced to his left where Hunter was squinting into the distance, his head tilted to the side in thought.

No droids? Hunter mouthed at him, looking confused.

He was right though. Even though Wrecker couldn’t hear well out of one ear, even he couldn’t mistake the difference between the metallic standard battle droid voices against a human. The clanckers were hardly known for being quiet, even chatting amongst themselves when they got bored. And Wrecker didn’t hear any sign of them. Not even the whirring and grinding of their gears that followed them wherever they went.

All he heard were human voices. Frantic ones at that.

Hunter motioned for the miners to fall back, and they all moved back into the last turn they had come from, leaving the lights and noises behind.

Now that they had finally found the enemy, Wrecker could see the men getting nervous. It was one thing to say they were ready to fight, but actually stepping out onto the battlefield took another whole bucket of guts. None of them were eyeing the way back at least, which was a good sign that they were still planning to follow through. Wrecker could respect that, most civies weren’t ready for anything like this.

At least Hunter was looking more alert than he had been for hours, that dangerous glint in his eyes coming back now that he had found his targets. It made Wrecker’s mouth tug into a feral grin. The sergeant was back.

“You lot stay here. I’m going to scout ahead and get a better idea of what we’re dealing with. Wrecker,” he turned to regard his brother, making Wrecker instinctively straighten up, “You keep them on guard and ready until I’m back. You know the signals for retreat and attack, so keep an ear open.”

“You got it, Sarge,” Wrecker said, and just like that Hunter ducked off into the dark.

Hunter felt the familiar sense of calm envelop him as he crawled down the length of the mine. He’d learned long ago how to let everything, every worry and every care, fall away and be replaced by the mission. He could feel that familiar sensation trying to fall in place within him, but not entirely this time. This mission had become personal the moment that his brothers had gone missing, and there was no erasing that aspect to his goals right now.

Risk assessments be damned. He grimaced. He didn’t give a kark about casualties or damage control now. He’d do whatever it took to get his answers and find his men.

He pulled out his blade and held it tightly in his fist as he made his way closer, ducking behind every corner and shadow as he approached. He could hear the voices up ahead more clearly now, enough that he could make out the edge of fear at the end of every sentence spoken. These runners were scared.

They should be, Hunter thought to himself.

Carefully, he crept closer and found himself kneeling behind a stack of crates as close as he dared get to the lit up section of the mine. From here he could see humanoid shadows dancing on the walls and began to get a head count. While he ticked off numbers in his head, he peeked into the crates he was hidden behind, noting the stacks of weapons inside. Not spice.

The men here were no doubt runners that the Separatists had repurposed as arms smugglers, just going off of the content of the crates was enough to answer the question Echo had when they had first learned about this damned mission. But that begged the newer question. Where did the droids go? The miners had all confirmed that there was at least one attack force of droids at the base to begin with.

“What do we do now?”

“Should we call them for back up?”

“No! If we call them for help they’ll know we failed!”

“But now we have no protection!”

“We’re our own protection. We always have been!”

“But that was just for our normal runs. There’s a whole karking army of clones that would come for us if they knew what we were smuggling for the Separatists. We’re karked if we pretend everything is fine.”

There was a cloud cracking noise of splintering wood and the sound of a blaster charging on.

“Nobody said we couldn’t use the goods for our own needs. Just load up on arms and we can take out the town ourselves, like they planned. It’s not like those people be able to put up much of a fight. It’s just kids and women, and some scared, dirty miners. They won’t stand a chance.”

Hunter gritted his teeth as he listened to them argue. It sounded like they were in over their heads, but they’d made their choice to help the enemy, even if it meant hurting innocents. That made them as bad as the Seppies in Hunter’s book.

“What about the pass? We can’t get through now.”

“We’ll find another way around. Just gear up. The storm is finally over and we can catch them off guard if we move fast. They’ll have no idea we’re coming.”

Hunter rolled his eyes at the sheer arrogance, and he fought off the urge to leap forward to cut all their throats just to teach them a lesson, but there were too many in there to be safe. He had made out at least thirty unique shadows on the walls, and there may be more that were spread out in the area. They’d be dealt with in due time.

Listening harder, he tried to make out any voices that sounded like his brothers, or any mention of prisoners among them…but there was nothing. It made his heart thud harder in his chest wondering why he couldn’t hear them. Were they even there? They had to be, otherwise…he didn’t even want to think about it.

As much as Hunter wanted more answers right then, he needed the others. He needed Wrecker.

So, he pushed away from the crates and started to make his way back, all the while planning out their attack in his head.

No mercy.

They don’t deserve it.

Chapter Text

“First team, move into place and wait for my signal,” Hunter whispered into his comm. He knew Wrecker would hear it and relay it to his group back in the mines. They had already blocked off all escape routes back into the mountain network, save for the one that Wrecker and his team were waiting by, ready to prevent even one runner from escaping their fate.

“Roger that, Sarge.”

Hunter’s team were all gathered at the ready just outside of the main entrance, weapons held high and set to kill. It was a relief to be back outside, even if the cold made the fingers gripping their blasters numb, but Hunter was just glad to be able to sense the valley around them and the men at his back.

Emerging from the alternative route that he’d been led down, Hunter had immediately started to reach out eagerly for anything. He took in the open valley that was nestled between the ring of mountain peaks, the frozen lake in the middle, the recent missile damage to the cliffs across the way, and the absolute destruction of the two passes that the miners had pointed at with wide eyes. There was still static that rang in his ears and in his brain, still deeply disturbed by the surrounding mountains, but there was a clarity towards the center of the valley that diminished as it got closer to the rocks. He drank it in like crystal waters, memorizing each and every vibration down there.

But no vibration came back familiar.

The blocked passes were sign enough that at least Tech had been up there at some point, but it was his heart that told him that Echo and Crosshair would have been by his side too, even if his senses found no proof of that. But they weren’t in the valley. He would feel it if there were. That is unless...

Hunter shook his head of the thought. He wouldn’t make any assumptions until he learned more about what had happened the night before. He was so close now. For all he knew, they were held in the very mines they were about to strike. He held onto that small hope like a lifeline.

He’d tried to comm his brothers already, but had gotten nothing back but more static. Wherever they were, not even radio waves could make it to them it seemed. He still kept his line open to them, just in case they were able to catch a quick signal and hear his chatter with Wrecker. He had to keep hoping.

“Keep close and ready. Wait for my signal and move in together in the formation I showed you,” he hissed behind him to the men at his back. He could smell their fear, but the set in their shoulders was enough to let Hunter know that they were too determined to go back now. He’d do his best to make sure all of them made it home, but it all depended on how experienced these runners were with combat. Most runners knew very well how to aim a gun and did not hesitate to use it against living beings, but they were not educated in war strategies. That was the one thing that Hunter knew was on their side in this.

He rolled his shoulders to loosen them up from where they had been tensed with worry for what felt like ages. He had to do this perfectly. There was too much at stake. He blinked as he heard the sounds of the runners forming near the entrance, probably readying themselves to leave to strike the town. It was now or never.

“On my mark. Three…two…one…go!” he called out and heard Wrecker bark the same over the line at his group. Half were to remain behind and guard the exit, and the other half were to charge forward. A pincer movement to trap the runners.

Hunter dove into the mine, feeling the miners flank him on either side, weapons already going off as soon as they saw the runners in sight on the other side.

Hunter’s first victim dropped with one well-placed hit, and his second kill fell mere seconds later.

At a distance he could hear Wrecker’s yell as he came up the rear, corralling those trying to run away back into their trap. There were screams of pain and terror, not unfamiliar sounds to Hunter, and he was easily able to brush them away as background noise.

His eyes searched the runners for the profile of the shadowed figure that had been the leading voice from before, because if anyone knew what had happened to those passes, it would be him. And Hunter would make sure he spilled every last detail along with the last drop of his blood as he did it.

All around him were the sounds and smells of war, and it was as familiar to him as the barracks of Clone Force 99. The miners may not have been trained soldiers, but they fought with the hearts of them. They were swift and thorough as they broke through the ranks of runners.

Just like Hunter was, they were fighting for their families in that moment.

It was just fuel to the fire as they fought their way into the mines, cutting down each and every runner as they went.

It was halfway into the main chamber that Hunter spotted him.

The one he would try to get his answers from.

It was clear that he had been in the business a long time and was no stranger to violence. He was probably the cause of the violence most of the time going off the heavy scattering of scars on his face and arms. He fought fiercely, but there was a glimmer of fear in his eyes as he felt himself get backed into a corner.

Hunter broke from the ranks, the miners filling in his place as he charged forward. They knew that the clone leader had his own goal in mind going into this, and they didn’t even bat an eye when he darted off in pursuit of one single runner.

Hunter leapt over a crate and landed heavily on his feet, the boom of his boots hitting the dirt alerting the runner to his presence, but Hunter hardly cared. There was no escaping him now.

A blaster bolt pinged off his shoulder brace harmlessly, and Hunter charged forward with a feral yell.

His whole body slammed into the runner with enough force to knock the wind out of both of them, but it didn’t slow down Hunter. He felt the runner squirm and struggle under his weight, ignoring it as he reached up to grab the arm with the blaster roughly, slamming it from his hands.

It skittered across the dirt out of reach.

Hunter pulled his hand back just enough to pull his blade out again, and slid it under the runner’s throat.

“Surrender,” Hunter snarled.

“Never! They’ll kill us if we give up,” the runner growled back.

“Then you shouldn’t have offered you allegiances to them in the first place. You brought this on yourself, and your men,” Hunter shot back, pressing the blade up further until it drew one single bead of blood, “Now surrender. I’ve got some questions for you and it’s a bit noisy right now.”

“Kark off!”

Hunter’s eyes narrowed and he leaned down into his face, “Then you will listen to your men die while I get my answers anyway. Now…tell me what I want to know. What happened to the passes?”

“Buumi, please! Just tell him what he wants to know!” one of the other runners screamed, clutching at his bleeding arm.

“Shut up, Kennu!” Buumi shouted back, drawing more blood from the knife at his neck.

Kennu shook his head, a touch of battle madness gleaming in his wide eyes, “We didn’t destroy the passes. The droids were trying to make it to town when an avalanche fell on them. The second pass fell when a bomb went off and took out the rest of the droids. It wasn’t us!”

Wrecker suddenly appeared behind Kennu, picking the scrawny runner up by the scruff of his neck and lifted him high in the air, “Then who set off the bomb?”.

The runner looked damn near ready to piss himself in fright as he dangled from Wrecker’s grip, “We don’t know! All we saw was the avalanche and then the droids started shooting at the cliff before the whole thing exploded.”

Hunter roared and leapt to his feet, dragging the leader up with him as he stomped over to the cowering runner. The sounds of the fight around them were petering off as the miners picked off the few remaining survivors.

“You’re lying,” Hunter snarled in his face, “Where are they? What did you do with them?”

The runner shrieked and tried to hide behind his hands, “I’m not. We—we may have seen two men up on the cliff, but it was so far away, and the storm made it hard to see. The droids may have been aiming for them, but we don’t know what happened after that.”

Hunter whipped his head around to the runner he still held at knifepoint, “You care to share anything?”

The man’s face paled at the fury he saw in the clone’s expression, and a bit of the false bravado from before faded into noting in the presence of Hunter’s anger. He shook his head slowly, swallowing hard, “We don’t know what happened after the army was taken down. Nothing else happened over there that we could see. We…we figured the men who had destroyed the passes were caught in a missile blast and were dead since they never came for us afterwards.”

Hunter was breathing heavily as he forced himself to listen for any hint of them lying, but nothing even remotely suggested that they were trying to hide anything more. Their hearts were hammering in their chests, and they stank of fear, but they weren’t lying. Which made Hunter’s worry grow, because they were right, no one came for the runners afterwards, which is what his brother’s would have done if they were able.

He could see Wrecker coming to the same conclusion in the way that his shoulders began to sag slowly, like off all the things he could carry, the truth was the heaviest.

Hunter pushed the runner away from him with a growl, “I’ll let the miners you tried to kill decide what they want to do with you,” he said, letting the miners come forward and take the two last runners away. He was too tired to spill any more blood. It wouldn’t make him feel better. He’d learned that more death never helped anyone feel better very early on in the war, even though he felt the fury still running through his blood. It was wasted energy now. Energy he needed to figure out what to do next…

His body and soul were weary in ways that he wasn’t familiar with, and his feet felt heavy as he walked away. He didn’t quite know where he was going, but he wanted to get out of that mine. Away from the numbness that the ore forced on him.

He needed to feel something besides empty and afraid.

Two days now he had gone without knowing the status of his men, his brothers. It had been eating away at his heart like acid, a slow and burning ache that never seemed to stop. One of the many pitfalls of leadership was the constant thought that replayed in his head whenever something went wrong. Could he have done something to prevent this? What could he have done better? But as a brother, he thought about what he could have done to protect them better. Why wasn’t he there with them?

The cold that hit his face as he nearly ran outside was enough to snap him back to reality, even if only for a moment. He stopped a few feet out of the mine and let his senses reach out as far as they could in the reverberating valley below.

Here he was, standing on a ledge on a mountain, on a frigid planet, and facing an empty valley alone.

Well, not quite alone…

“Hey, Sarge.”

Wrecker stepped up next to him, the two clones staring out blankly ahead of them.

He knew that Wrecker was waiting on him to say something. To declare what their next steps were. To steer them in the right direction that would take them to where the others were. And Hunter wanted to be able to do that, but it was taking too long. His brain wasn’t cooperating because it was still more concerned with the fact that they hadn’t found them yet than anything else. It was dangerous for a leader to get distracted like this, and Hunter knew it, but he just…he needed a moment to think. To feel again. To ease the buzzing that had been going through his head the moment they touched down on this karking planet.

Hunter sighed and squinted into the distance, noting the bare edges of cliff where his boys must have set off the rocks and snow, and he let himself hope for a moment to catch a hint of them still being over there. Maybe trapped on a ledge, waiting for help. Maybe sheltering on one of the peaks…but there was nothing. Just scorch marks and jagged rocks from where the missiles must have hit. To set off an explosive strong enough to take down half a cliff, they would have had to have been over there. Right where the droids had been aiming.

A sick feeling in his gut churned up at the thought that maybe the runners had been right. That nobody came for them because…there was nobody left after the missiles hit.

Hunter sucked in a sharp breath that stuttered at the end as the emotions caught in his throat. He knew Wrecker heard it too. His brother knew Hunter the best of all of them.

“Don’t lose it yet, Hunter. You’re not giving up. You never do,” Wrecker said softly.

A sad smile crossed Hunter’s lips, “No, you’re right. I’m not giving up. I’m just, "Hunter broke off and sighed heavily, "the ship was empty, Wrecker. And then they weren’t here…I’m just…if they are still out there, they don’t have much time left for us to find them. They’re survival packs are only meant to last a day or two, and that’s under decent conditions. Nothing about this place could be considered decent. Every second wasted is another failure on me. I’m letting them down.”

“You can’t think like that. They wouldn’t blame you for any of this.”

“Crosshair might,” Hunter admitted.

“Nah, you’re thinking of when he was still that bratty little cadet that blamed you for every bad thing that happened to him and Tech on your watch. He’s changed,” Wrecker chuckled, “Well, maybe not completely changed, but he learned fast enough that relying on others isn’t a death wish. Besides, they have Echo with them. It’s not like it was before. They’re waiting for us, we just got get moving again to find them!”

Before.

Hunter knew that Wrecker was talking about those early days when they’d first found Crosshair and Tech. Back when Crosshair would rather chew off his own arm that brush shoulders with anyone besides his batchmate. And now they had brought Echo into the fold. At first Hunter had thought he’d see more antagonistic efforts on the sniper’s end, snarling at the unknown person in his territory, but instead Crosshair had only been slightly more withdrawn that usual. The cutting remarks were still there, but he kept their sharpness down to less lethal verbal wounds that Echo was easily able to ignore. It had been so different from the Crosshair who had spent the first weeks in their shared barracks glaring at them from where he had Tech corralled behind him in his bunk.

It did show how far Crosshair had come, and maybe Hunter was still stewing in his older anxieties of when he was an untested, and unseasoned leader.

Wrecker was right, in his own boisterous way, he needed to focus on finding them. Not focus on his failures.

Hunter nodded sharply, “Right. I’ll start scanning the cliffs for signs of them with the heat sensor. You go back and ask the miners if they can spare some of their non-wounded men to help us search the other peaks, mines and maybe the valley. If that doesn’t work then I’ll have them give us a ride back to the ship so we can try re-doing some of Tech’s scans. They’re out there somewhere, and we’re going to find them.”

Wrecker jumped to attention with a wide smile and saluted, “Yes, sir!”

Chapter Text

Crosshair could feel himself slowly come back to consciousness, and immediately he wanted to go right back into that darkness (his head hurt less there), but there was some nagging feeling that he had that he was supposed to be doing something. But what?

He could hear two people breathing.

His body felt warm, but his face felt cold, and there was something soft in his arms.

Tech.

He’d recognize the feeling on his brother anywhere.

But something wasn’t right. Tech felt different.

He was there…but not…close.

Why wasn’t he clinging to Crosshair like he was the last heat source in the galaxy?

His breathing sounded different.

Was Tech always this hot to the touch?

He heard shuffling a short distance away, like blankets shifting over metal. Crosshair wondered if he’d accidentally left his firepuncher in the bunk again.

Tech hated when he did that.

What time was it? Where were they?

It didn’t feel like their bunks at the barracks, nor their bunks on the Marauder. He was on the ground, wasn't he? The ground was very hard, like it was frozen. Were they on a mission?

What the kark am I doing sleeping on a mission?

Crosshair slowly began to peel his eyes open, and they instantly sharpened in the darkness to make out Tech’s profile beside him, and the dirty walls of the mine around them. Mine?

Crosshair’s heart began to race as it all came back to him in a rush again and he scrambled up, his body panting to catch up with his heart’s need for oxygen.

“Take it easy, Cross. You were out for a while,” he heard Echo say from the other side of Tech.

He shook his head, ignoring the reg and turned his attention back to his younger brother beside him. Force, he looked awful.

If they were still outside, it would be difficult for even his sharp eyes to discern the difference between Tech’s pale features and the whiteness of the snow. The only color he could make out was the slight tinge of red on the peaks of his cheekbones. And his breathing…

Every breath looked like it was an effort, and rattled forebodingly, wet and heavy.

“He’s still getting worse,” Echo said beside him.

“Then you should have woken me sooner. It’ll take me a day to get him more medicine at least,” Crosshair hissed, but it lacked its usual venom. In truth, he knew he would never have been able to make it up the mountain alone, and still couldn’t. It was an effort to even lift his head given how hard it was pounding away in his skull.

Echo didn’t respond, instead offered Crosshair more water and some pain killers they had on hand. Begrudgingly, Crosshair took them both. Maybe it would help enough to get him back on his feet sooner.

Echo didn’t look much better than Crosshair. He looked a little better than before, although he was still showing some signs of a concussion in his eyes and the unstable way he held his head up. He looked exhausted. It hardly helped that the reg hadn’t even fully recovered from the Techno Union before they took this mission. This little adventure had probably set his health back again.

A small seed of guilt rose in his gut, fully without his permission, as he thought about what Echo must have been going through the last two days. Even Crosshair could see how worried the reg was for Tech, and how much effort he’d put into keeping Tech alive.

Even now he could see Echo fiddling with the blankets around their younger brothers’ shoulders, and how his hand drifted right back to the med scanner as if on auto pilot. He wondered how often Echo had been using it on Tech that it looked as natural in his hand as his blaster did.  Crosshair wasn’t about to pretend that the reg meant as much to him as Tech did, but Echo had shown he was a capable member of the squad, and a clone that even he could respect. Maybe he should have been checking on Echo more than he had. Concussions could be nasty if ignored. It was just luck that this time Echo’s didn’t seem to be lethal.

He was trying to get used to having Echo on the squad, to thinking of the reg as a part of their team, their family even. It just wasn't coming as naturally to him as it did for clones like Wrecker, or Hunter...or even Tech now. Crosshair knew that he struggled with changes, especially when it involved the people he co-existed with. He knew hew guarded what he felt was his with a sharp, territorial, and sometimes even lethal means, but that was what it took for Crosshair to feel safe. He wasn't proud of it, but it was how he had adapted to changes over his short life.  

It had been a difficult adjustment, going from just Tech and Crosshair to a squad of four. And that was putting it nicely. Crosshair had resisted at every opportunity, tested Hunter’s seemingly endless patience, tormented Wrecker’s nearly unbreakable good mood, and constantly tried to out logic Tech about the benefits of the two of them going it alone.

It would have been easy to stay just the two of them. A sniper and his overqualified spotter. The war would have made good use of them as a team. It would have just smothered Tech’s talents somewhere along the way…In the end, it was Crosshair who had made the decision to stay with the squad, rather than breaking away to what he was used to. Away from what he felt was the safer of the two options. But it had taken a long time before Crosshair surprised himself by genuinely caring about his new squad members.

He didn’t think at first that it would happen quickly, or at all, with Echo. But feeling guilt for the regs condition was just the start of it. He wouldn’t feel guilty over just anyone.

Echo deserved a squad that cared about him. Crosshair just wasn’t sure if he was ready to admit that to anyone besides himself. Crosshair glanced longingly down at Tech, thinking that he needed his sounding board awake now. He needed Tech to tell him that it was okay to let others past his barriers. Like he’d done before. Crosshair just couldn’t think straight when he was lying next to his one last batchmate as he struggled to even take in a breath.

Crosshair sighed and reached over to brush his hand through Tech’s hair, “You didn’t rest, did you?”

Echo’s head shot up in surprise, realizing that the sniper was speaking to him, “And just why would I rest? I needed to keep an eye on Tech while you recovered from your jaunt through the snow.”

“I was looking for your sorry asses, not going for a scenic walk,” he snapped back.

“And I’m just worried about you two, not staying up past my bedtime to read more manuals,” Echo said, crossing his arms over his chest and huffing loudly. He looked so petulant that it almost made Crosshair smirk. Almost. At least the reg had some bite in him.

A silence fell between them. Not an unfamiliar thing with Crosshair for company, but it wasn’t the comfortable silence that he preferred. There was a weight between them, and it made the atmosphere of the mine heavy, and tiring. It was moments like this that Tech’s chatter was more comforting than a warm blanket. If only to distract him from his own dark thoughts, and Echo’s solemn mood.

As if he heard his brother’s thoughts, Tech broke out into another coughing fit. Crosshair held his jerking body until the spasms went away and he fell still again. He watched his face carefully for any signs of waking, only to scowl when none came.

What the kark are we supposed to do now? Crosshair thought to himself angrily, glaring at Tech’s slack profile as if it would scare him into waking. Nothing.

“It would be nice if he woke up and told us what to do. Bossy little thing he is.”

Crosshair surprised himself by chuckling at Echo’s words, “He’s not bossy, he’s just not sure why we insist on doing things in any way besides his own.”

Echo rolled his eyes, but there was a glint of humor there that he’d been missing for a while.

“I bet he was a handful as a cadet,” Echo hedged, once again catching the sniper off guard. It was rare that anyone asked about their past, probably because they all instinctively knew it was a touchy subject, and usually Crosshair would brush of any questioning (because most of the time even he didn’t want to remember), but with Echo…someone who had suffered in their own way, it didn’t seem as upsetting.

“He still is a handful,” Crosshair said softly, unable to hide the fond tone in his voice as he reached over to straighten Tech’s goggles, knowing exactly how they needed to rest on his face so they didn’t dig into his skin painfully, “But at least he no longer steals Kaminoan technology when he’s bored and wants to tinker. The war keeps his hands busy for the most part.”

He could see Echo’s eyes widen at the idea of a much smaller Tech stealing Kaminoan property out of boredom, and knew that if Echo had been young with them he would have been the first to try and get Tech to stop. Meanwhile, if Wrecker had been with them then he would have probably helped their younger brother take even more.

That detail was safe to share. It wouldn’t bring any pity to Echo’s face as he learned about what their early cadet days were really like. Crosshair didn’t want his pity.

“My batch got into some trouble too. Nothing like that but…”

It was their first real conversation, and Crosshair felt himself opening up a little more they spoke with no forbidden topics coming up between them. Talking with Echo felt safe. Not like other regs. And not quite as safe as with Tech, but it was something.

Anything to distract him from watching his brother die in his arms.

But as always, nothing could stay peaceful around them for long.

It was at least another hour later when Tech began coughing again, only this time he couldn’t seem to stop.

“Kriff, it sounds like he’s choking to death,” Echo snarled as he ran the scanner over the smaller clone again. It pinged back with a warning for low oxygen levels and another increase in his core temp.

Every breath that Tech managed between his hacking crackled, and Crosshair could see his chest rise and fall like a fish gasping on dry land. It was terrifying to see him distressed like this, and Crosshair began to feel as cold as he did when he was back out in the snow. Like some of the ice had permanently lodged in his spine.

“Sit him up, quickly,” Crosshair said and the two of them gently lifted their brother. With every wracking cough that tore through him, Crosshair felt his own heart stutter in his chest. He’d never seen Tech this sick before. Stars, he’d never seen anyone this sick before. He didn’t know what to do, once again he was useless as anything besides a bringer of death.

Tech needed medicine. He needed it yesterday.

“Here, hold him up for me. Watch his arm. We don’t want to set off the bleeding again,” he said and carefully maneuvered Tech’s body to lay back against Echo’s chest, cradled in his lap. The reg looked as panicked as Crosshair felt, but he still took Tech in his arms and held him steady.

Once they were all sitting up, Crosshair felt his hands shake in the air, unsure what to do next. He didn’t know what was safe to touch, Tech looked so fragile like this.

Tech's head fell back onto Echo’s shoulders after one particularly hard cough and Crosshair’s hands automatically fell on his shoulders to steady him. That’s when he caught sight of Tech’s eyelids fluttering, and a faint gleam behind his goggles.

His heart leapt in his throat and he squeezed Tech’s shoulders, shaking him gently, “That’s it, come on. Wake up! Breathe! Do something! Just don’t die, you idiot.”

Tech’s face pinched. Perhaps it was because the coughing had turned painful, or maybe it was in response to being called an idiot, but it was a reaction.

Echo seemed to notice it too and his face lit up with hope, and he began to rub his hand over Tech’s flank where he held him up, “That’s it, that’s it! Come back to us and tell us what we’re doing wrong, yeah? You love doing that.”

Tech’s eyes squeezed shut instead as he gasped between coughs to pull in any air he could, laying in Echo’s arms as he tried to get control of his body again. It felt like an age before the attack subsided and his body went as limp as a rag doll against his older brother. The effort it had taken to clear his lungs enough to function had taken every bit of the little remaining energy Tech had, even his head hanging heavily back against Echo’s shoulder.

“Easy there, that’s it. Nice and slow. Just open your eyes for us, just let us know you’re still there,” Crosshair urged gently, reaching out finally to cup his brother’s face between his hands.

A moment passed before Tech screwed up his face in effort, and he finally opened his eyes. They were red and glassy and couldn’t seem to focus on anything. Almost like he wasn’t wearing his corrective goggles, like he was blinded. That sent a spike of fear through Crosshair, because between the two of them, losing their sight was among their greatest fears. Carefully, he angled Tech’s face so that it forced their eyes to meet. It took a moment, but Crosshair saw the moment that Tech’s gaze focused on him long enough for a spark of recognition to appear.

“Cross—” he choked out, the end catching on another cough that sounded like it was ripped from his chest.

“Shh…It’s me. I’m here,” he soothed.

Tech jerked a bit, like he was trying to move, “Ech—”

“Right here behind you, vod’ika,” Echo broke in with a small smile.

Tech seemed to relax as soon as he had determined they were both with him. His gaze shifted a bit, like he was trying to take in the area around them, but gave up quickly, like it had been too much to handle.

Echo noticed and leaned down close to his ear, “We’re still in the mine. Crosshair got here early this morning and has been recovering from dehydration and mild hypothermia. No contact from the others yet, but I’m sure they’re on their way by now. You just need to hang on until then, okay?”

Tech nodded weakly and fell silent. His head would have fallen back again if Crosshair wasn’t still holding him steady. Once again, his eyes were threatening to shut, making the other clones anxious because it had only been a couple minutes awake after being unconscious for a whole day. It only confirmed just how weak Tech had become in such a short amount of time, and Crosshair was scared. He knew that Echo was too, he could see it in the shadowed and haunted look in his face.  

Crosshair sighed heavily, taking a moment to take in Tech’s sallow features and his labored breathing. His brother wouldn’t last much longer like this. Gently he took one of Tech’s hands, making sure not to grab the injured arm, and guided it up to his chest, laying it flat against his blacks where he could feel the snipers heartbeat. It was a comforting gesture he remembered his little brother doing for him so long ago...after their last brother had fallen. A reminder that he was still there.

Tech's hand was cold, he could feel it even through their gloves.

“I have to go back to the ship. He needs those antibiotics, he can’t wait any longer,” Crosshair eventually said. 

Echo’s head shot up again and his features contorted in frustration, “We’ve been over this. You won’t make it, Cross. We need to wait for Hunter and Wrecker to find us.”

“I have to try, damnit, I’m losing him!”

“And just think of how he’d feel if you died trying to save him,” Echo snapped back.

“And what if he dies because we just sat here waiting for someone who may not even come?”

Echo didn’t seem to know what to say to that, and Crosshair was ready to declare his own victory when his attention was pulled back to the ill clone between them.

He felt a gentle tugging at his neck and glanced down to see Tech’s hand where it was clenched in the fabric of his blacks. His brother tugged again, and Crosshair met Tech’s hazy gaze. His lips were blue at the edges, but there was a glimmer in his eyes that wasn’t there before. For a moment, he forgot all about his rush to get out of there because he recognized that look. Tech was desperate. He needed Crosshair.

“Tech? What is it?”

Suddenly Tech was overcome with another fit of coughing, but he didn’t let go of Crosshair. If anything, his grip tightened further. His brother shook his head slowly as the coughs subsided again, still gasping for air as he did, and then pulled on Crosshair again, as if holding him in place.

He began to understand what Tech was asking for and he turned his face away so he didn’t have to look him in the eyes, “Tech, I need to go. You need help we can’t provide.”

Tech shook his head again while tugging harder, it was more like a controlled flop of his head, but it got the message across.

No. Stay.

“If I stay, you’ll die.”

You don’t know that. Stay. I need you here, safe.

And then Tech’s hand fell, releasing Crosshair as it landed heavily on his lap.

Whatever energy Tech had was sapped away finally and his eyes fell shut again, and no amount of shaking or frantic calls of his name brought him back. The two older clones probably spent a good ten minutes trying to rouse him again before they gave up.

Echo didn’t put Tech down. If anything, he now appeared to hold him tighter against his chest, anything to help him keep breathing more easily. Meanwhile, Crosshair sat staring at the limp hand that had held him in place, his mind warring over what to do next.

It was an ongoing battle that Crosshair had thought he’d won years ago, but apparently had only just faded to the background for a bit. Could he trust someone else with his and Tech’s life? He’d given Hunter his trust before, many times in fact, but his older instinct to trust no one was rearing its ugly head again.

Was he able to do it again?

He heard Echo shift and his head lifted to watch as the older clone gently held Tech, checking over his injured arm and then tucking in the blankets around him for the thousandth time that day. His expression was soft, even if it was tinged with worry, as he handled the younger clone. It was clear as day that Echo truly had come to care for Tech in the short time they’d known each other. It was hard not to bond with someone you risked your life with in war, but this had been their first real mission together, and already they’d come so far.

He thought back to that horrible moment when he had listened in to Tech trying to convince them to cut his line. Echo had prevented Tech from making that sacrifice. Then he remembered how scared and grateful Echo had been when he had slipped in the snow, only for his new brothers to pull him back up. If there was anyone who could hold a torch to Crosshair in the damaged clone department, it would be the reg. And if Echo could put his trust in a chaotic squad like themselves, going so far as to risk himself to protect his new brothers…then maybe Crosshair could do it again. Hunter hadn’t let him down before. He just needed to trust that he’d come through again.

I’ll stay…but only because he asked me to.

Crosshair sighed and sat back wearily, all the fight draining out of him along with the last dregs of adrenaline that was fueling him. His body was almost as tired as his soul, and he could feel his brain going fuzzy at the edges as it tried to keep him awake.

“How long does he have?” Crosshair asked eventually, when he couldn’t stand the deafening silence any longer.

Echo lifted the scanner in his hand again and ran it over Tech’s body. Crosshair didn’t need to see the screen to know that it wasn’t long, not with seeing how Echo’s face fell.

He looked away, not able to bear seeing that sadness on the reg’s face.

Hunter. Please hurry.

Chapter Text

It had gotten dark a few hours ago, but that didn’t stop Hunter, nor any of the others. They were all used to working in dark mines, and the shadows under the moon were hardly any different. There wasn’t enough time to stop and wait for the sun to come back. Something was telling Hunter that their time was almost up, and it fueled him to keep looking, keep tracking, keep hoping.

He knew the miners were getting tired though, and each empty cave they encountered was more discouraging than the last. Even Wrecker’s spirits were beginning to wane, and his head hung a little lower each time they met up.

It had gotten bitingly cold again as the sun set, and the wind had picked up enough that Hunter felt his hands stiffen and his feet go numb. It scared him even more to think that his boys might be fighting off this same cold somewhere, possibly while injured. The cold did things to the body and mind in stressful situations. It weakened them. Made you feel alone even when you weren’t.

For their sakes, he prayed that the three of them were still together at least. They needed each other until Hunter could find them and bring them home.

“Checking random mines isn’t helping this go any faster. We need to think about this strategically or at least broaden our range,” Hunter eventually said after they had exited yet another empty cavern. He could feel his frustration growing by the minute.

One of the humans shrugged helplessly beside him, “We’ve got men checking the peaks and valleys, but if anyone was around there they would be easy to spot if they were above the snow. That just leaves the mines.”

Hunter didn’t want to think about what it would mean if they were beneath the snow. He’d worry about that when all hope was lost. It wasn’t yet. It couldn’t be. He didn’t know how he knew it, but he did. They just had to keep searching.

He sighed and looked out over the valley below them. So far they had been checking the mines closer to the top of the mountain, ones that would have been more easily accessible to his men from where they had set off the detonation, but nothing had turned up there. Wrecker had taken a team to the other side of the peaks, the ones right above where the ship was, a while ago. They hadn’t found anything and were slowly making their way downwards, but it was taking too long.

His com crackled, and Hunter tensed up as he waited for another disappointing report from Wrecker.

“Hey Sarge? We think we may have found something, but it may not actually be anything at all…”

Hunter frowned and exchanged confused glances with the miners in his group, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, we found a mine some ways down the mountain, the guys say that there are signs of someone in here recently. But all we can see is some rocks that got kicked around and some footprints. They look like standard issue boot prints like ours. One pair. No one here anymore though, and no tracks leading to the back. They left after pacing. A lot.”

A spark of hope lit up in Hunter’s chest and his mind immediately pictured Crosshair pacing away while stuck in a mine, kicking at rocks that got in his way as he waited out the storm. He couldn’t picture Echo wasting energy pacing, nor Tech having enough aggression to kick rocks. But why would the sniper be alone in a mine halfway down the mountain? He was usually perched high up. It didn’t make any sense, unless…

“Wrecker, have someone shine a light from the entrance so I can see where you are,” he ordered and waited only a moment before he saw a faint glow of a light appear almost three quarters of the way down the slope. That was below the altitude of where the explosion had gone off, and also well below where the runner’s base was located. There was no reason to be there unless Crosshair was trying to make it to the bottom.

He turned around to his men, “Abandon all searches on this side of the valley. Have everyone head to the cliffs by that light. Then have everyone fan out from the bottom upwards,” he ordered, watching as the men all jumped to attention despite not being military. They would have probably saluted if they knew how to do it properly.

He grabbed the miner closest to him, “Start thinking of all the mines down there and where they are located. We’ll narrow down the search on the way,” then he clicked on his comm again, “Wrecker, we’re coming in. Meet me at the bottom of the cliff, but have your men stay in that area and search for more signs of tracks.”

“You got it!”

All exhaustion disappeared. Hunter had finally gotten a sign that they were out there and was not going to rest now.

 “Come on, come on…breathe for me.”

“Take those blankets off, he’s getting too hot.”

“Easy, Tech, just hold on for us.”

“Kark, it sounds like he’s choking.”

“Keep him upright. Straighter. Watch his arm.”

“Hold on a little longer, vod’ika.”

“Keep breathing, come on. Stay with me…”

Tech gave no outwards signs that he could hear his brothers begging him to hang in there, even though his eyes were half lidded and glassy. His fever had erupted not long before and Echo was terrified that they would have to go dump him back in the snow to get it under control again. His lungs sounded like they were filled with fluid, crackling and heaving with every strangled breath he managed to take between coughing fits.

If Echo thought that they were desperate before, they were frantic now. Would medicine even be enough to save Tech now? He found himself holding on to the younger clone with so tightly, like he worried he was going to lose him just by loosening his grip, even for a second.

They had been fighting to keep Tech breathing for the last hour, but it felt too much like a losing battle since he never seemed to get any better. They’d tried giving him water, only to have it coughed back up. They tried to make him comfortable, but that just made it harder for him to breathe. They tried to rouse him to consciousness, but so far all they managed was to get his eyes to peak open dully with no recognition in them.

Echo wanted to scream if only to hear something other than that rattle in Tech’s chest and Crosshair’s painfully soft voice calling out to his little brother. And worst yet, Echo now knew that he would never doubt Crosshair of having a heart again, because he now knew what it looked like on the sniper’s face when it broke.

And it was breaking before his eyes as they both watched Tech fade and his illness take over.

He didn’t know what to do anymore.

He hung his head in shame, resting his forehead in Tech’s hair as he began to beg the small gods and the Force to help them.

Please, please, please. Don’t take him from us. Our hearts won’t survive it.

Echo was so lost in his thoughts that he almost didn’t hear Crosshair’s whispers as he moved in closer to Tech, pressing his forehead up against Tech’s.

“Come on, nerd. Keep breathing…” he said, his voice almost imperceptible against the wheezing from Tech’s lungs, “Remember when you were first dumped in our barracks? And how I told you that you weren’t worth my time because you’d never survive long enough to matter? Yes, I know I was a bastard then, but you proved me wrong. Again and again. You showed me what a fighter you were…”

Echo felt a tremble that shook Tech’s head against his face, and he was almost sure it came from where Crosshair was still pressed against him. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he realized that Crosshair may be crying, and he bit his lip to keep himself from choking on his own emotion.

The sniper continued, still so quietly that Echo had to strain his ears to hear him.

“…You need to keep proving me wrong. You love doing that, and I’m asking you to do it again. One more time. Please…”

Tech didn’t reply.

Hunter could feel his heart hammering away in his chest as he ran from mine to mine. By then the men in his group had fallen behind, too tired to keep up with him.

But Hunter couldn’t slow down.

His boys needed him. Now. Yesterday. He needed to find them before it was too late.

For what, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to let it get that far.

The only one with him now was Wrecker, his constant, and the only one able to keep up with him. Hunter had already gotten a vague mental map in his head from the miners as they sped across the valley, and was ticking off the areas most likely to have them.

Wrecker didn’t have the best eyesight, but his presence was still welcomed and he was taking charge of checking in with the other search parties while Hunter focused on his best skill. Tracking.

They had started at the base, directly below where Wrecker had found the mine, and were working their way around. Hunter wasn’t as well versed in winter weather tracking, and snow was nearly impossible to work with when it covered everything of note. But that was just it. It was nearly impossible. Not entirely.

And he noticed something nearly the moment he met up with Wrecker.

To his eyes, he could see the barely-there dents in the snow, like small canyons that rivers carved, trailing their way along the cliff. The wind had smoothed them out to where they were nearly invisible, but something must have happened to cause that kind of disturbance.

Why they looked so erratic was beyond his comprehension. It looked like a wild rampaging juvenile rancor had been tearing through the snow at the rear end of the storm. Oddly enough it seemed to be headed off along the edges of the cliff wall.

He began to follow them.

“You see something?” Wrecker asked from behind. He sounded eager. Hopeful.

“Maybe. It looks like something tried to plow through the snow here at one point, before the wind died down,” he said, gesturing to the slight dip in the snow before them.

Wrecker bent down, frowning deeply as he stared at the snow, “Really? Just looks like everything else around here.”

“No, it’s something…” Hunter said, trailing off as he continued to follow the path that only he could see.

His walked parallel to the tracks, making sure they remained undisturbed in case he had to retrace his steps, Wrecker following closely behind him. They could just be animal tracks, but Hunter hadn’t seen or heard any large enough creatures that could leave marks this deep. That wind had been so powerful the night before…for any mark to remain in the snow after all that it must have been big.

Big and desperate.

Most creatures would know to hunker down during a storm like that.

He was beginning to think that this was definitely not a creature, but a human. Crosshair? He had been trying to reach the bottom of the mountain...

He began to follow the tracks again, this time a little faster than before.

They passed a bit further when something strange could be heard over the distance. Hunter’s head whipped up so fast his neck cracked, and Wrecker was instantly on alert beside him.

“Hunter? Wha—”

“Shh…” Hunter held his hand up and they both froze where they stood, the two of them holding their breath as the sergeant listened. It took a moment more, and Hunter felt the air ruffle the hair on his head as it moved, and that’s when he heard it again.

A sound that didn’t belong out here.

His memory of similar sounds brought up the image of the flags flapping in the wind on every base they had ever stepped foot on. Even now he could picture them move with the wind and the snap as they whipped back and forth…But why would he hear that here?

He didn’t have an answer, but his feet were moving as if they didn’t care.

He was running so fast that he could barely keep his balance in the waist high snow, but he continued to thrash his way through, desperate to reach whatever was waiting for him, and it made him think about the chaotic trail they had been following here.

Behind him he could feel the thumps of Wrecker chasing after him, and he hoped that he wasn’t leading his oldest friend towards bitter and painful disappointment.

It was still so karking dark, but with how still snow and mountains were, it was easy to spot the red fabric that was whipping from where it was tied to the rocks. It was the only thing moving out here in the stillness.

“There! Do you see it?”

“That red thing? Yeah, what about it?”

Hunter didn’t reply because he truly didn’t know what it meant. But it was the only thing that stood out and seemed to have everything leading towards it. He charged on, nearly crashing into the cliff face in his haste to reach for it.

It took a few hard tugs before it came loose in his hands.

He lifted it to his nose and breathed in deep…engine grease. Metal. Human skin. Blood…

“Hey Sarge, there’s a mine entrance over here!”

Hunter tied the fabric around his wrist and rushed to Wrecker’s side, the two of them peering down the long and dark tunnel.

“Hmm, seems pretty empty…” Wrecker said, trying his best not let Hunter hear the choked sound in his throat, but his brother picked up on it anyway.

Hunter was about to agree when he felt something tickle at his senses from inside. There was something, even among the ore, that was pulsing. It was faint and distorted, but it was there.

He was already running through the entrance before he even registered Wrecker commenting on the footprints in the dirt.

The world around him fell away as his senses zeroed in on the pulsing energy ahead. Idly, his brain registered the frequency of the standard issue heaters, and a medical scanner, and then…Echo’s cybernetic implants. Then…heartbeats. Three! But one was…

“Hey, guys, is that you?”

He heard Wrecker call out behind him, and suddenly was reminded what a bad idea it was to charge into an area unannounced when Crosshair was present. Wrecker may have just saved them from being shot in their haste to catch up, but Hunter honestly couldn’t care much at that moment because he knew those signatures. They were the three people he had been trying to reach out and feel for almost three karking days. He probably wouldn’t even find it in him to be mad if Cross shot him, because he’d just know without a doubt that it was his sharpshooter doing it, that he’d found him. Found them all.

Three heartbeats.

And then, a voice!

“Wrecker?!”

“Ah ha! There you are, Echo! Hang on, buddy, we’re coming!”

“Hurry, please!”

Hunter didn’t like the desperate tone in Echo’s voice, not the fact that neither Crosshair nor Tech were chiming in. It was only a moment later when he could see the glow of the heater ahead, and the silhouette of a large overturned mining cart beside it.

A loud roaring filled his ears as he came up on them, and first took in the scene the greeted him. While he’d hoped to arrive to see relief and joy at finally meeting up his men, instead he just saw the broken expressions of Crosshair and Echo as they held a bundle of blankets in their arms. His heart plummeted when he finally made out the glint of Tech’s goggles pressed against Echo’s neck, and his limp hand held by the sniper.

Hunter fell to his knees, not even feeling the pain of the rocks digging into the skin there. He thought he heard Wrecker gasp behind him, but it was hard to tell when it felt like the very air around him was screaming.

Three heartbeats. There are still three. He’s not…there are three.

Hunter reached out slowly, and wondered if the others could see the slight tremble in his hand as he gripped an edge of the fabric to pull it back enough to see Tech’s face. He almost wished he’d left it where it was. He didn’t want to believe that the ghostly pale and weakened person before him was his younger brother.

“What happened?” he asked in a broken whisper.

“We didn’t realize he was getting sick at first. It was just some sneezing, but then his arm got crushed bombing the cliff and we fell into a snow bank. He was buried for a while before I found him and dug him out. He’s been getting worse ever since. Kark, he can barely breathe anymore, Hunter. He needs medicine, fast,” Echo reported, but it lacked the normal formality that the reg preferred, instead his words were frantic and disjointed.

Hunter took it all in, his eyes never leaving the bundled form as he made his own assessment, only moving the blankets more to see the mentioned injury and then quickly tucking them back in. “Wrecker, call in the miners to this location. Tell them we need a transport now,” he ordered without turning his head. He knew Wrecker would obey.

Suddenly Tech jerked in Echo’s arms, and he let out a pained wheeze that came from far too deep in his lungs. It sounded like it should have been a cough, but his body was too weak to force it.

“We’ve got you, little brother, we’re here now. Just keep breathing,” Hunter soothed, running his hand through the short cropped hair. He didn’t know if he was heard, but the pained frown on Tech’s face eased a bit at his words. Hunter smiled sadly, and prayed they had made it in time.

Finally, Hunter was able to take his eyes off of Tech for a moment to take in the status of his other men. They looked like they hadn’t slept in a week, and a bit beat up along the way. Echo had the pinched brow of someone suffering from a monster headache, and Crosshair was even more sickly pale than usual. No bones or limbs seemed out of place at least, but that didn’t meant they were alright. Of course they weren’t alright.

“How are you both doing?” he asked gently. He could see their twin haunted gazes, and the red rimmed eyes of men on the edge of tragedy. The two of them had probably been in here for a while, holding Tech like this as he got sicker and sicker. Hunter knew what kind of effect that would have on Crosshair, given that Tech was his to protect in the sniper's mind, and took Tech’s pain as his own.

 He was a little surprised to see just how affected Echo seemed to be, and that he was the one holding Tech so tenderly instead of Cross. But maybe he’d underestimated how close he and Tech had gotten in the last two weeks, and he worried what this kind of trauma would do to the reg so soon after he’d come back from the dead himself.

Crosshair didn’t seem like he was able to talk right then, his entire focus on the hand in his own, but he didn’t look hurt physically at least.

Echo still gave the sniper a moment of silence in case he wanted to respond, but when it became clear that Cross was going to stay silent the reg let out a long and weary sigh before he turned back to his sergeant to report.

His voice was painfully hoarse as he spoke, and Hunter worried that maybe he was sick too, but his lungs and heart sounded strong to his ears at least.

“Minor bumps and bruises on us. Mild concussion that I’m working through, but nothing serious. Crosshair was dehydrated, and we both were suffering from cold exposure…but next to Tech, we’re in perfect health. Just not perfect enough to go get him help,” he said bitterly.

Hunter shook his head and squeezed Echo’s shoulder, “You took care of each other, and kept Tech alive this long. You both did well. You hear me?”

Echo nodded, but it lacked any enthusiasm or real acceptance. Crosshair’s face didn’t even twitch.

“I’m proud of both of you. Now, just leave the rest to us. We’ll make sure all three of you get taken care of, yeah?” he said, even though he knew that he would probably be facing a bit of resistance from the two older clones until they were all sure that Tech would survive whatever disease had settled deep in his lungs. Hunter could respect that attitude, even if it meant he’d have to have Wrecker manhandle them into getting treatment of their own.

Already he was mentally going through his head of all the medic stations he knew of in his head, trying to plot out the closet one to them. Tech would need immediate attention, they didn’t have time to fly twenty hours back to Kamino. Force, Tech looked so bad that Hunter worried they’d even make it to the one station two hours away.

And while the other two seemed to be relatively healthy, at least compared to Tech, Hunter knew that the only thing that would have kept them from going for help themselves was if they were physically unable to make it. Crosshair was known for running his body into the ground, and if those were his tracks in the cave then he would have been out in the storm for far too long. He’d need to be checked for frostbite and exposure. And Echo…if his concussion was inflicted while they were bombing the mountains, then it would have been almost two days old at this point. The fact that his pupils were still mismatched in size was not a good sign. Hunter suspected that a circuit or two must have gotten jostled in his skull. If it were something organic it would have been well on its way to healing. Tech would have a better idea of what to do, but obviously he wasn’t in any shape to be helping Echo right now.

A cold shiver ran down his spine as he stared down at his little brother and took in just how sick he had become in just under three days. His hand reached out of its own accord, cupping his fingers under Tech’s chin and tilting it up to see his face better. He grimaced at what he saw, and tried to hide his own fear behind schooled features when he felt Echo’s and Crosshair’s eyes on him. The two of them were worried enough without having to see Hunter lose control of his emotions.

He heard hurried footsteps come up behind him, heavy and spread, and he didn’t have to turn to know that Wrecker had returned.

He came to a quick halt right beside them, “The boys are headed this way with a speeder. They’ll be here any minute. We should go meet them at the entrance…can…can we move Tech? Is he hurt bad?”

“He’s sick, and he’s got a busted arm, but we should be able to move him. Wrecker, you take Tech and I’ll help Echo and Cross—”

“No.”

It was the first word from Crosshair and it was sharp enough to cut through all the other noises in the echoing cavern. All eyes turned to the sniper.

Hunter was about to open his mouth to respond when Echo’s voice broke in.

“Cross, we can’t carry him. We’re not strong enough. Let Wrecker take him for now. You can trust him with Tech…They got here, didn’t they? We can trust them to get him outside,” Echo said softly, ducking his head until he was able to catch Crosshair’s eye.

The words shocked Hunter, who wasn’t aware that Echo had enough insight into Crosshair and Tech’s dynamic already. Let alone enough information to be aware how to work around Cross’ trust issues. Sure, Hunter and Wrecker had learned a while back how to talk their brother down when he was in this kind of headspace, but to hear it from Echo was shocking, and just further proved to everyone that Echo deserved a place in their squad, and as their newest brother.

They all watched the war play over Cross’ face as he battled his own inner demons against Echo’s words. His face had become so pinched it looked like he was in physical pain, and Hunter was about to step in with his own reassurances when Crosshair suddenly nodded and reluctantly pulled away from Tech to make space for Wrecker.

Wrecker had seen this same situation play out before, and instinctively knew to move in slowly as he stepped between them. He kneeled down between Echo and Cross, holding out his arms and beckoning gently with a gentle smile.

“I got ‘im from here,” he said as he scooped his hands under Tech and the blankets piled on top. Stiffly, Echo let go, his arms still held up even when Wrecker stood up with Tech’s limp body, like he had forgotten what to do with them in the time he had been holding his brother.

Wrecker wasted no time from there, now that he was getting a close look at Tech himself, and hurried down the dark tunnel.

Hunter sighed as he watched them go before he turned back to the two remaining clones.

“Come on, let’s get you two out of here,” he said and held out his hand to both of them.

The three of them stumbled out of the mine together, Hunter sagging under the weight of his brothers as they finally emerged outside. Like he had guessed, they looked better than they actually were, and could barely stand on their own. They would need to be checked over too.

They perked up a bit at least when they saw Tech loaded on a litter at the end of one of the speeders, tucked and belted in firmly for the next leg of the journey. Several of the miners were hovering around him and Wrecker worriedly, their faces tense and drawn as they took in the condition of the man they were rescuing.

Wrecker’s head lifted as he heard them approach and hurried over to them, taking Crosshair’s weight away and helping him over to the speeder, “Come on, Cross. I made sure they left a spot next to Tech for ya. You too, Echo,” he said over his shoulder with forced cheer.

Hunter had to give it to his brother. He’d only seen the interactions of the three injured clones for a few moments and had already picked up that it would be a bad idea to split them up between speeders. Hunter craned his neck to see that there was also a space for him in the front of that speeder, so that he wouldn’t have to be away from his men either. Wrecker gave him a knowing look when he noticed where Hunter was looking, making Hunter smile genuinely for the first time in days. Wrecker wasn’t wrong, being away from his boys was the last thing he wanted right now. Not when he’d just go them back. It meant that Wrecker would be on the speeder behind them, but as long as they didn’t stray too far, Hunter would be able to feel him close.

Crosshair and Echo were settled in beside Tech and wrapped up in the thermal wind breaker blankets that were on board. They would be moving fast, and the last thing any of them needed was more cold.

The leader of the miners came up to Hunter, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion and concern.

“We need to get back to our ship. I have to find a doctor for my brothers, especially our little brother. I don’t think he has much time left,” Hunter muttered softly, not wanting the others to hear him.

The miner nodded, “I agree, he doesn’t have much time left, but you don’t have to find a doctor. This illness, we’ve seen it hundreds of times before. Living in a place like this almost everyone gets it at least once, but it is treated before it gets this bad, before it’s fatal…,” at Hunter’s wince the miner reached out to squeeze his shoulder, “but it’s not too late. Our healer in town, he knows what to do as well as any medic. Please, we can still help. But we have to hurry. We can even take a look at the other two. Nobody knows cold exposure like us.”

Hunter dared to let a little hope show on his face, and he nodded, “Okay, let’s move out.”

Chapter Text

They made it.

That thought still rang incredulously in Echo’s mind as he sat at Tech’s bedside a day later, watching as the younger clone’s stats continued to improve. All of them were together again, warm and safe, in the town’s clinic while they waited for everyone to be well enough to leave. Tech hadn’t woken up yet, but it was only a matter of time according to the healer.

It had been a terrifying few hours after they had sped the three of them back to town, filled with alarming prognosis, brutal looking procedures with tubes stabbed in between ribs, and all the while Echo couldn’t help but worry that they had all been too late to save him anyway. But slowly they could see Tech begin to breathe easier, and the blue color left his lips finally.

Only then did Echo and Crosshair allow the healer to look them over, and thankfully found nothing of alarm. Food and fluids were forced on them, which they accepted eventually. There was some damaged skin on Crosshair’s toes that needed some salve after frostbite had begun to set in, but he would recover the skin quickly if he kept off his feet. Echo didn’t have any toes to worry about, but he’d been given the same salve on the skin where it met his prosthetics. Apparently, the metal touching his skin while that cold had been just as bad as walking in the snow itself. Nothing more was lost though, and he was told to take it easy for a bit. Not that he planned on going anywhere right then. He and Crosshair were content to follow the healers’ orders…so long as they could stay in the same room as Tech. Which was granted after Hunter all but demanded it.

Echo’s head still ached, and he still got dizzy when he stood up suddenly, but the healer had said that organically he was fine. It was just a loose circuit somewhere that could be tended to by Tech once he was better. Because he would be better, they knew that now.

Even now, as he sat in a chair next to him, Tech looked immeasurably better than he did not even a day ago when they were having to hold him up just so he could take in air. He would have even looked like he usually did when Echo had shared a bunk with him, if not for the tubes and monitors snaking out from various parts of his body. If Echo squinted enough though, he could pretend they were just some spare wires that Tech had forgotten to brush off his blankets before falling asleep in the middle of another project. He preferred that image of his brother to the one of him recovering from an illness that almost stole him away from them.

It scared Echo to think about how he had felt back in that mine, when he wasn’t sure if Tech would survive. That aching feeling of terror and loneliness had been pulsing in his heart and soul before Tech was even gone, and it hurt so much that Echo didn’t think he’d survive the loss when it happened. Sure, Tech was fine now, but they were still in a war. A war in which he’d already lost so much…

Echo heard a shift across the bed and glanced up to see Crosshair’s face twitch in his sleep. There was distress written on his features, and Echo was almost certain it was the sniper reliving the nightmare they had just emerged from. It made him wonder about how Crosshair managed his own loss and fears.  Cutting himself off from the world that had hurt him too many times already. Echo was almost envious of how the sniper was able to protect himself by putting up barriers, but…Echo didn’t think he could ever survive the loneliness that came with it.

He shook his head of the thoughts. It was too late to change anything now. Somehow, in the few weeks he’d spent with these men, they’d all managed to worm their way into his battered heart and could never be removed. Even Crosshair had, now that Echo had seen a side to him that was usually hidden behind sharp words and thick armor.

Besides, it was nearly impossible to think poorly of the sniper when Echo was currently watching him squeeze Tech’s hand in his sleep, half his long body hunched over the bed from where he had pulled his own chair so close to the bed it was tilted backwards a bit.

A small smile worked its way onto Echo’s face as he watched them, and then it grew painfully wide when he saw Tech’s body shift minutely closer to his brother’s.

Heat seeking missile, he remembered fondly.

The door behind him opened and Echo glanced back to see Hunter sneaking into the room.

Crosshair’s body tensed up for a moment, and Echo caught sight of one sharp eye peaking up at the intruder before Hunter raised his hand in surrender.

“Easy, Cross. Just checking in. Go back to sleep,” he whispered, and for once, the sniper obeyed without any retort or sneer. Hunter let his own smile creep over his face as he took in the scene, and then shuffled quietly over to the chair beside Echo.

The sergeant let out a long sigh as he sat down, his shoulders falling loosely at his sides and the frown finally disappeared from his face. Echo had seen the same kind of stress mirrored on Rex’s many times before, and it was nice to see it fall away from Hunter’s features after one heck of a rough mission. It was comforting to see the genuine relief that the other clone had pained on his face at having his men all back together, safe. It told Echo that he truly cared for the men on his squad.

Hells, going off of the dark marks under Hunter’s eyes alone it was clear as day that he loved his brothers and worried for them.

“How are you feeling?” Hunter asked after a beat, surprising Echo who had been waiting for him to ask about Tech.

“Um, fine, I guess. Just taking it easy until Tech is well enough to take a look at my gears or whatever,” he replied, and kept his eyes focused on the two clones on the bed. Somehow, he was still very reluctant to let them out of his sight, even though that were all out of the woods, so to speak.

He heard Hunter hum his approval, and the sergeant seemed to relax even further into his chair, “Nice to hear that physically you’re on the mend. But I was asking more about where your mind is at. It…” his chin dropped and a look of sadness passed over his eyes, “It couldn’t have been easy back there. You had to make a lot of hard decisions for yourself and these two brats. I had been hoping you wouldn’t have to deal with anything like that so quickly.”

Echo shrugged like it was nothing, but he knew that Hunter saw through it. It had been difficult, and it would have been nice to have more time to process before scratching at barely healed wounds, but it had happened, and they survived. Supposedly he was stronger for it, even if he still felt raw and exposed. Echo just didn’t know how to talk about it yet, or at all. All that time waiting, terrified beyond all reason, he’d been able to do too much thinking and had very little to show for it.

Hunter seemed to pick up on that too though and didn’t pry any further.

Instead Echo felt the weight of a hand fall on his shoulder and he looked up to see Hunter smiling over at him.

“I wanted to make sure you know how grateful I am though. Not only did you survive all that, but you also managed to keep our little brothers alive long enough for us to find you. That’s no easy task with those two,” he added wryly, pulling a chuckle from Echo, “And I know I speak for all of us when I say that we are all incredibly lucky to have you on the squad and as our brother.”

Echo felt his mouth fall open in shock. To hear Hunter speak so surely about his place on the team, in their small and very strange little family, it was everything Echo didn’t know he needed to hear. He felt his eyes burn as they welled up with hot tears, but he managed to keep them from falling as he nodded his own gratitude back at Hunter. For accepting him as he was. For wanting him as a brother. For giving him a place he belonged again.

“I feel lucky too,” he managed to say with as much dignity as he could muster around all the swirling emotions. In his elated confusion he didn’t know what else to say or do, so he let himself do what felt the most natural in that moment and reached out to take Tech’s other hand in his and squeezed it gently, ever mindful of the bandages and sling that had it strapped tightly against his chest.

And then the happy tears finally fell when he felt that hand squeeze back.

Tech blinked himself back into a blurry world.

It took all of three point seven seconds for him to come to the realization that it was not the world that was blurry, but his own inadequate vision causing the issue. His goggles had been removed it seemed. Something his brothers did often when they believed he needed greater comfort as he rested. And going off of the pungent smell of medical grade cleaners, he had most likely been resting in a medical facility of some kind.

It took an additional three point two seconds before he could recall what could have cause him to be placed in such a facility. Flashes of snow, cliffs, dark tunnels, worried voices, and a feeling of drowning flickered through his brain rapidly. There was a concerning amount of blank spaces in between, probably due to a lack of consciousness, but he still got the general idea of what had occurred. And that he had been very ill it seemed.

From there, it was a mere one point four seconds before two distorted faces came into view.

“Tech? Thank the Force, you’re awake!”

“Kriff, it’s about time.”

Tech’s lips twitched into a fond smile as he pieced together the voices of Echo and Crosshair to match the faces above him. There was no mistaking the poorly concealed relief in his brother’s voices and knew that he must have worried them greatly with his poor condition.

“Do you feel okay? Do you need us to get the healer?”

“Give him a moment, he’s still processing,” he heard Crosshair hiss, but it lacked any venom. It was more of a warning for Echo, a way to give Tech time to regain his equilibrium and to let the newer member of their squad know that there was no real need to worry if it took a minute or two for Tech to “boot up” as Crosshair liked to call it. Despite his given name, Tech was not in any way a computer, but the analogy was amusing and not too inaccurate that he never bothered to correct the sniper. He’d used the same words the first time Hunter and Wrecker had worried over the same delay in waking.

Knowing that his mind was at least still together, he took stock of his body.

He felt…heavy in his extremities, most likely due to exhaustion and…the fact that his arm was covered in thick bandaging and tucked into a tight sling. Ah yes, his injury. He wiggled his fingers on the hand, mentally cataloging the various radius of movement that were safe, and what sent a twinge of pain up his forearm. His legs checked out fine, as did his head. Tech tried to take in a deep breath to test his torso, only for his diaphragm to begin to spasm and send him into a fit of coughing that felt raw against his throat and made his chest ache.

“Easy, nerd. Slow and shallow breaths. You’ll be hacking up all sorts of disgusting things for a week, so get used to it now. You’re lucky they already took you off of oxygen before you woke up, don’t make them put it back on.”

Tech felt a hand at his shoulder squeeze gently. He recognized Crosshair’s thin and long fingers. There was another hand though, on his other side that was rubbing his arm in a soothing manner. That hand was broader, Echo. Echo had fallen with him. Tech vaguely remembered him saying his head hurt.

He turned his head in the direction he remembered seeing Echo when he first woke up, two minutes and thirteen seconds ago. He squinted up at the blurry figure, trying to discern anything that indicated an ongoing medical concern, but it was a useless attempt without his goggles.

“Hang on, Tech. I’ve got them right here,” he heard Echo say and then he felt gentle hands lifting his head as the familiar weight of his goggles slipped over his face.

Finally, the world came back into focus, easing a bit of the tightness he felt around his chest. Not all of it though, he could still feel the growing urge to begin coughing again, but he resisted for the moment. His chest still ached deeply from the last set.

He let out a soft sigh as he stared up at the faces of his brothers, and let his lips twitch up into a smile again. They looked well. Better than he last recalled anyway. There was a slightly concerning difference in the radius of Echo’s pupils, but he seemed alert and healthy for the most part. He’d have to investigate further when he was able.

“Hello,” he said simply, suppressing a wince when his throat protested after going unused for so long.

Echo chuckled, “And hello to you. You scared the kark out of us, vod’ika,” and held a glass of water up to his lips.

Tech took in a few sips, letting it soothe his throat a bit before replying, “Apologies.”

He could see Crosshair roll his eyes on the periphery of his vision.

“You don’t need to apologize, just don’t do it again,” his brother snapped, but Tech knew it to be from an emotion closer to concern than any real anger. At least no anger directed at Tech. There was a rigidness to his brother’s posture that indicated that he would need to speak privately with Crosshair at some point, but it would have to wait for when he could manage more than one word at a time.

Perhaps Echo would need a similar discussion, if the radii of the dark circles under his eyes were any clue to his own inner thoughts. Tech may not have remembered everything from their time in the mines, but there were whispers on the edges of half remembered dreams that may have been based in reality. Words spoken to him while he had been delirious with fever that his brain couldn’t process completely just yet. Idly, Tech wondered if his gear had managed to record anything of their time in the mine through all the ore’s interference. He would have to review at a later time.

For the time being, he was just content to know he was safe, and that Echo and Crosshair had also survived their ordeal. But knowing that begged the next inquiry…

The door to his room opened suddenly, making three sets of battle wary eyes flicker over to see who the intruder was, only for the two very familiar forms of Tech’s other brothers to enter.

“Tech! There you are, little buddy! Was wondering when you would wake up,” Wrecker all but shouted as he entered with his usual energy. His enthusiasm seemed to be contagious in Tech’s weakened condition, and he found himself grinning widely back.

Usually this would be when his much larger brother would greet him with a punch to the arm, or slap on the back, but it was a testament to his recent and current poor condition that Wrecker kept his touches fleetingly gentle and restricted to his uninjured legs only. A soft pat and squeeze to his knee was all he seemed to let himself indulge in, despite his usual need for more physical comfort after a close call. While Wrecker had mostly outgrown his fear of accidentally injuring his younger brothers long ago, the same fear had a tendency to rear up again when one of them was hurt. Hopefully Tech would recover quickly so that Wrecker would not feel the need to walk on eggshells around him much longer.

Tech lifted his uninjured arm to wave up at his brother and was amused when Wrecker nearly slapped Hunter in the head returning the gesture.

Tech let his eyes slide over to his sergeant, taking in his haggard appearance with a critical and practiced eye. He knew how much Hunter shouldered the weight of his brother’s well-being, and had no doubt struggled in their absence. It was difficult enough for him to manage the distance without his senses being cut off by freak storms or mountain ranges. The last few days would not have been easy on him, and Tech could see it written on his face like code on a computer.

Hunter made his way up to the bed quietly, with Echo easily stepping to his left a pace to let the sergeant slip in beside him. Calloused fingers ran through Tech’s hair as he ruffled it, an unfortunate habit Hunter had picked up when they had first taken in the younger cadets, one that Tech doubted he’d ever quit at this point. Still, Tech admitted that the familiar feel of Hunter cradling the back of his head as he bent down to press their foreheads together was endlessly comforting.

“I’m glad you’re back with us, little one,” Hunter said softly into his ear.

Tech chose to ignore the use of the inaccurate term of endearment, mostly because he could remember when the term had actually been accurate and immensely comforting when they all had been much younger. It brought another smile to his face, one that he happily smothered into the lee of Hunter’s neck for a moment, taking in the warmth of being surrounded by his brothers.

As a man of many words, while also several dozen languages, it was hard for Tech to be physically limited to uttering single ones at a time. Especially when he knew that those around him all needed more comfort and assurance than what he could manage just then. He wished he could convey all the thoughts and emotions that were running through him as he lay there, but he could only think of one word that might encompass just enough of his thoughts for his brothers to understand.

Just one and then he could let himself fall back into the blankets and close his eyes to rest more, knowing that the others would be alright until he woke again.

Slowly he turned his head just enough to where he knew he wouldn’t be muffled as he spoke, but not too much that he would have to pull away from Hunter’s hold. Not yet, anyway.

He let his eyes trail over the others, taking in their relieved, if not exhausted faces, and let himself feel safe again where they all belonged.

“Yaim’la…” he whispered, the word falling effortlessly from his tongue.

It worked as he intended. Each of his brother’s faces softened as they took in the deeper meaning there, and Tech felt confident that he would be alright going back to sleep now. They would all be fine.

He still felt weak and knew that he still had quite a bit of recovery to do before he would be better, but his chest ached in a different way now. He knew that feeling to be happiness.

Chapter Text

Epilogue Part 1

It was another two days before the resident healer felt confident enough to release Tech into the care of his brothers, and while Tech had wanted it to be sooner, he was not completely ignorant of his physical limitations. Nor the effect that his illness seemed to have on the squad.

In some ways, perhaps, this mission was an excellent bonding experience for Echo and Crosshair. They had faced adversity together while sharing a shared interest in Tech’s well-being, and managed to do so without killing each other. A success if one were to use a comparative barometer of other Clone Force 99’s past experiences. At least from Tech’s point of view it was. In other ways though, Tech wished that the circumstances in which Crosshair and Echo would have their moment could have been less dire.

Also, that Tech himself didn’t have to nearly die drowning in his owns lungs to achieve it.

He would gladly look at the silver lining in this case, because it was a weight off all their shoulders to see the positive change in their sharpshooter now that he had started adjusting to Echo’s addition to the squad. When Tech had told Echo that it would take time for Crosshair to reach this level of friendly compatibility, he had truly thought it would take a bit longer than this.

Ah well, Echo was rather efficient in all things. Why not also in growing his relationship with Crosshair?

And secretly, Tech would be forever grateful to see his batchmate getting alone with anyone. Especially with someone so brave and dependent as Echo. It had taken so long to break his brother out of the fortress he’d erected in the wake of their batch’s deaths. To see it continue to crumble away through Hunter, Wrecker, and now Echo was both a wonder and a gift.

Even while convalescing in that bed, unable to speak more than a few words at a time without setting off another fit, he’d been able to happily observe his squad interact as a whole, rather than a set of separate parts. Like seeing an engine function as a whole to do wonderous things, rather than each basic gear set turning on its own.

He got to see Wrecker’s happiness at his growing family, easily adapting his playfulness to each of his brothers. Making sure no one felt left out, and that nobody even got a chance to fall back into that dark and cold tunnel they all seemed to have been metaphorically stuck in. His antics were amusing to all, keeping the mood of the room light, even as Tech struggled to breathe after his latest coughing fit.

They had all laughed as he blew up surgical gloves and turned them into floating balloons that he hit over in Crosshair’s direction, knowing the sniper would not be able to resist hitting them into a nearby basket with each shot more difficult than the last.

From his bed, Tech could see Hunter keeping a careful eye on all of them, like he feared one of them would disappear if he wasn’t ever vigilant. As much as Tech hated being the reason his sergeant felt the need for such caution, there was comfort in his actions still. At the very least, Hunter was smiling at all the right emotional queues, and all appeared to be genuine.

Tech found himself more anxious about the status of Crosshair and Echo. He’d learned that they were almost completely recovered from their own injuries, although Echo was in need of a cranial diagnostic. For the most part, they both seemed to be well on the mend. But Tech knew Crosshair well enough to know his usual level of withdrawnness, versus the more concerning degree he was showing after their latest misadventure.

It was noted in the rigidness of his shoulders, and the tense muscles of his jaw, and even more notably in the way that he rarely strayed more than a few feet away from Tech at any given moment.

And while Echo was still relatively new to Tech, and he was still in the process of mapping out the regs emotional triggers and signs, but even he could detect a waver in his eldest brother’s emotional stability.

With that in mind, when Tech was finally moved from the clinic and into his rack on the Marauder, he readied himself to catch the two of them alone at the next available moment. Mental wounds sometimes festered just a badly as physical ones if left untreated, something he had learned long ago.

Wrecker was very gentle as he carried Tech from the speeder and into the bunk room, so much so that Tech could have easily fallen asleep in his arms if he wasn’t too busy trying to catch a glimpse of the ship’s condition after the snowstorm.

Crosshair seemed to have noticed his craning neck and rolled his eyes at Tech, “The ship is fine. Focus on yourself for once,” he sighed and stomped up the ramp ahead of them.

Tech glanced over Wrecker’s shoulder to where Echo was walking, and he saw his eldest brother smiling in an indulgent manner up at him.

“I checked the diagnostics of the ship yesterday. She’s good to fly, no damage from the storm,” he reported easily, easing a little of the worry from Tech’s mind. He could trust them to handle the flight back.

Tech was tucked into his rack by Wrecker, with Hunter piling an unnecessary amount of blankets on top, and he settled in to rest as the others made their way to the cockpit. He was so tired that he didn’t catch the hesitant looks that Echo and Crosshair made as they slowly left the room.

As he felt them leave though, an unexpected rush of anxiety ran through him. Surprised by his own reaction, he backtracked on his memories for the last few days, wondering what could possibly have unnerved him so suddenly. It took him only a moment to deduce a prognosis of separation anxiety, because this was the first time he’d have been alone since he’d fallen into that snowbank.

Even the vague memory of being buried under the snow and ice sent his body into tremors. He’d been truly trapped there, limbs frozen stiff and unable to even wiggle under the pressure surrounding him on all sides. The only thing he felt besides cold was the sharp ache in his arm where he had sustained an injury. If that hadn’t been alarming enough, Tech knew that he was also slowly suffocating and unable to do a damned thing.

He'd had already calculated his pitifully low chances of survival by the time he felt the rope move where he had somehow managed to clench it in his numbed fingers. He’d nearly lost control of his emotions when he had deduced that not only had Echo survived, but was coming to find him.

Most of what came after was unfocused and nonsequential. He recalled leading them to an abandoned mine. He remembered listening to Echo speak of his first family. He remembered…a terrible pressure in his chest that was growing. He remembered feeling too hot, and somehow far too cold. He remembered worried voices, and whispered and desperate words…

Tech shook his head and tried to think of something, anything else.

He hadn’t dwelled on it thus far, mostly because he’d been more focused on resting and observing his brothers. But now that he found himself with the growing distance between them all, he couldn’t seem to rationalize it. How utterly vexing. Perhaps he had not quite had time to process how this mission had affected all of them, not just his brothers.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t been left alone even for a second while he was still recovering in the clinic. Childishly, Tech wanted someone to come back and stay with him a while longer, no matter if it was logical or necessary. But hadn’t they done enough for him already?

He pulled the blankets up higher on his chest, feeling a ghost of a memory of someone else doing the same thing for him. At the very least, perhaps he could sleep for a while so he didn’t have to think of indulgent comforts or what he missed.

The familiar vibrations of the ship could be felt through his bunk as the engines turned on. There were soft clanks heard as the landing gear was stowed away and the ship took to the air. In his head, Tech could visualize each and every step of taking off, and knew that it was Echo flying this time around just by how quick and efficiently the launch went. He knew that the Marauder was in good hands.

But in the back of his mind he made note that if he was flying, that meant Echo would be occupied for at least the next hour as he navigated them out of atmosphere into hyperspace. It would be unlikely that he would come back anytime soon to keep Tech company. And Hunter would be busy writing the report to send out. Wrecker would likely be starving after going at least a whole day without eating, and would be rummaging around for rations. Crosshair would be…

Tech didn’t even have time to guess at where his brother had gotten to before a familiar, slim shadow appeared in the doorway as the sniper walked in.  

If he weren’t so tired, perhaps Tech would have been able to mask his relief better at seeing Crosshair come back into the room, but alas his brother picked up the facial cues as well as he would a target a mile out.

Thankfully, Crosshair didn’t comment on it. Instead, he lowered himself onto the foot of Tech’s bunk and began to methodically clean his rifle. If he felt Tech move his leg closer until it rested against Cross’ hip, he didn’t comment on that either.

It was quiet for a time, the only noises were from the sniper’s work or the occasional coughs from Tech. The benefits of silence were something that Crosshair had taught him about long ago, and the quiet was as calming as ever now that he wasn’t alone. It was if his irrational fears were muted by proximity alone. It let him think about what had happened without it feeling so raw. It was still uncomfortable to think of the last several days, but at least Tech didn’t feel suffocated by them.

But he still couldn’t bring himself to sleep yet.

He knew he needed to sleep. His body still required rest to trigger his sympathetic nervous system into a more rigorous healing status, but his brain was fighting it still. Tech was exhausted, and just wanted to get better as quickly as possible for his squad. The fact that his over active brain was preventing that was more frustrating than he cared to admit.

He turned his attention away from cataloging the last few days and turned his gaze to his brother, taking in the shadows under his eyes and the clenched jaw that must have made his teeth ache by now. He doubted that Crosshair had gotten much rest since their rescue. How could he have when he had almost never left that chair at Tech’s bedside? He didn’t like seeing his brother like this, especially when Tech knew that he was the cause of it.

“It never ceases to amaze me how loudly you can think without opening your mouth.”

A chuckle escaped Tech’s lips before he could stop it and he kicked Crosshair gently for the comment, “I’m always thinking loudly.”

“Perhaps, but you are thinking louder than usual. Like you always do when you’re upset,” he shot back easily, his accuracy as true as it was with his rifle.

Tech shrugged, his eyes falling to his hands in his lap as he began to fiddle with a loose thread in the blanket. He’d been under Crosshair’s scrutiny for years, and should be used to his brother reading him so easily, but it still bothered him that he was upset in the first place. Crosshair and Echo had been the ones truly suffering back in that mine. Tech had just been unconscious for the majority of the time. It was hardly considered traumatic to be asleep.

He heard a soft thud as Crosshair stowed away his weapon before turning his full attention back onto Tech. Those sharp eyes were not laser focused on him, and Tech tried his best not to shrink away under the intensity. This was Crosshair’s way of trying to help.

Which is what Tech had mentally promised to do for him. Crosshair needed help too. Neither of them had come out of this unscathed it seemed, and once again, neither of them were sure how to handle it.

It reminded him of their youth, and the suffering silences they had shared back then. Both of them had been in such pain, but were unsure how to comfort one another.  Crosshair had been warring with keeping himself distanced from everything and everyone while also trying to keep the last person in his life as close as he could. His seemingly opposing reactions had confused Tech at the time, and he had no idea how to manage his brother’s sharpened personality besides giving into what Crosshair had thought was safest for them. A shared solitude. It had worked for a time because it fit into Tech’s own methods of emotional protection, by letting cold hard logic dictate his world. They had found an almost mechanical balance between them versus the galaxy, but after a time, eventually they were reminded that they were human.

It had taken much time, and some very carefully worded talks before they had come out of the shadows together. Neither of them could claim to be masters of anyone’s emotions, least of all their own. But they had managed thus far. They would manage again.

“I am…struggling with what happened,” Tech admitted quietly, knowing the only way to begin working through this was for someone to speak first. And he was good at speaking for the most part.

Crosshair nodded, having already known as much, “Me too,” he said, surprising Tech at the easy admittance. His hand drifted absently to his side until it fell over Tech’s leg and he squeezed it gently, “You scared me, you idiot.”

Tech kept silent, knowing that the only way his brother would elaborate was if he kept his mouth shut and his face open. There was some sort of struggle showing in his brother’s face, no doubt between his strong emotions and his instinctive need to pretend he had none. Crosshair had always tried so very hard to be strong for the two of them, refusing to break until he finally shattered, just because he wanted to spare Tech from whatever burden he imagined his emotions would be on the younger clone.

Tech desperately hoped that one day he’d realize that he would never be a burden and he could feel as strongly as he wanted, but he feared that may never happen.  Emotions could hurt, they had both learned that very early on. Something had broken through one of Crosshair’s emotional dams back on Kimiji though, that much was obvious to Tech.

“You were willing to die back there,” Crosshair finally whispered, sounding both angry and sad.

 Tech winced, knowing exactly what his brother was referring to. The moment when Tech had calculated the odds of Echo’s and his own survival while that ledge crumbled out from under them. Under further scrutiny, Tech realized just how terrible it must have been for Crosshair to be stuck unable to help at all, or even attempt stop him if Tech had chosen to cut his line. That would have broken even the strongest of wills.

But even so, Tech stood by his choice.

“I can see where that would have been…difficult for you. However, I would gladly give my life for any of my brothers, and that includes Echo now. You know that. Don’t pretend you wouldn’t do the same for one of us,” he chided gently.

Crosshair shook his head with an almost angry growl, “I wouldn’t be missed as much as you. You have more to offer the squad besides just good aim.”

“Exceptional aim,” Tech cut in with a raised finger that he jabbed at his brother’s chest plate, “And your value is not limited to your genetic enhancements. I would have been devastated if I lost you. Destroyed even. We all would.”

“Then imagine how I felt for that half a day not knowing if you were even alive! And then having to karking sit there uselessly as you got worse,” Crosshair finally snapped, whirling around to face Tech fully. His face was pinched in pain, but Tech knew it wasn’t physical, although it may have felt that way, “We made a promise, when it was just the two of us, that we would always fight our way back to each other. And…it didn’t seem like you were fighting to come back at all.”

Tech didn’t quite know what to say for once. It was true, they had made that promise long ago in an almost empty barracks, while the two of them huddled close in the corner of a bunk. Their promise had been whispered between them as they tried to make sense of why they were the only two left. They never knew why, out of all their batch, only they had managed to survive. They weren’t the strongest, nor the most unique. They were nothing alike. The only thing they seemed to have in common was their aching loneliness. They had wanted nothing more than to never feel that ache again, so they had promised each other to do everything they could to stay by each others side.

And Tech had almost left.

Tech pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the tightness in his chest and the jellied feeling in his arms as he moved closer to his brother. They had used to always sit so very close together, a unified front against the galaxy, so it only felt natural to lean into Crosshair’s body. Arms almost automatically fell around his shoulders and pulled him in closer until Tech was almost sitting in the sniper’s lap.

“I am sorry, Cross. It seems that my initial reaction was to protect my brothers, and not to keep my promise to you. But…I can’t promise that this will not happen again,” he said and felt Crosshair stiffen under him, “We know what it is like when a brother falls, we know how that hurts. I wanted to prevent you all from possibly facing the loss of two brothers at once, when I knew my chances of survival was already quite low.”

He felt Crosshair’s arm squeeze around him tighter, “I know that. I’m just selfish,” he said after a long pause.

Tech moved in closer, resting his head on his brother’s shoulder, “It isn’t selfish to want me to come back to you. It falls under a different category, one titled with that word you hate hearing.”

He heard the sniper groan dramatically and could picture him rolling his eyes, “Don’t you dare say that word. Let’s just stick with selfish. Suits me better.”

Tech chuckled and felt himself relax further in his brothers’ arms, all his earlier anxieties faded to the back of his mind for now. He’d have to deal with them later, he knew, but he was just so very tired now. Tech felt safe in that moment, and all his fears from being buried and suffocated seemed fall away momentarily now that he knew his big brother was there, and would always fight to stay there.

Maybe Tech was a little selfish too. Although he was confident there was a better word to be used if Crosshair didn’t act like the very word itself would cause a catastrophic allergic reaction.

He wanted to talk to Crosshair more. It wasn’t often that he found his brother willingly talking about emotions with him. Unfortunately, Tech was still exhausted and weak from his illness, and would be bedridden for their trip back to Kamino, possibly longer if the healers there were not pleased with his progress. His body screamed at him to sleep the twenty hour flight back to their home world, and he found that he had no fight left in him to ignore his body’s demands.

He felt himself going limp in Crosshair’s arms, but he didn’t bother to correct his slumping body because he knew that his brother would catch him. He would be taken care of, just like he had been back in that mine.

“Go to sleep, nerd. I’m not going anywhere.”

And so he slept.

Chapter Text

A few hours after they had left Kijimi, Echo couldn’t wait any longer. Logically he knew that Tech was fine and was well out of the critical state he was in mere days ago, but he was having trouble shaking off the feeling that he was needed. It was a preposterous notion, given that he’d seen Crosshair go into the bunk room almost immediately after takeoff and was no doubt keeping a very sharp eye on their engineer. But Echo wanted to see for himself Tech was okay before he could stand another moment staring out into hyperspace.

He turned to where Hunter sat beside him and opened his mouth to speak, but the sergeant had raised his hand and given Echo a knowing look.

“Go ahead and check on him. I’ll keep an eye on the ship,” Hunter said.

Echo was about to ask how Hunter knew what he wanted, but decided against it. It didn’t really matter in the end. Quickly, he took his leave of the cockpit and tiptoed his way into the bunk room, careful to keep his balance as a wave of vertigo hit him again. Karking circuits.

He had been hoping and expecting to see Tech asleep in his bunk, given that he was still prone to long periods of rest, but the sight that greeted him was not what he had pictured in his head. In fact, it was much better.

Tech had managed to wrap his entire body around the sniper’s, legs and arms draped lazily over Crosshair as he slept oblivious to the world around him. Crosshair appeared to be just tall enough that Tech’s head was able to tuck under his chin easily, without making the sniper have to tilt his neck back. They looked so comfortable, like they’d done this hundreds of times before an knew exactly how to manage their limbs and bodies on the narrow bunk. Well, Echo knew now they had done this hundreds of times before.

There was no mistaking the glint of eyes that peeked out over the top of Tech’s head, and Echo knew that Crosshair was wide awake still. A week ago, Echo would have probably turned tail and went back to the cockpit to avoid Crosshair’s intense and intimidating nature, but now after seeing another side to the sniper, Echo felt safe moving closer.

He kneeled down beside the bunk and let his hand rest on top of Tech’s back, feeling the steady rise and fall under his palm and hearing the crackle in his lungs that was almost gone. Tech sighed in his sleep, making Echo smile briefly.

He could feel Crosshair watching his every move, but that was something Echo was going to have to get used to now. If he had super sight, he’d be watching everything all the time too. It didn’t bother him as much as it did before anyway.

“How’s he doing?” he whispered.

“Fine,” Crosshair responded shortly. Some details would have been nice, but Echo was also going to have to get used to Crosshair’s directness.

Echo nodded, and almost instinctively reached out to adjust the blankets further over Tech’s shoulders. The gesture must have caught Crosshair’s attention because he stiffened for a moment before letting out short sigh.

“Thank you,” he said suddenly, catching Echo off guard.

“Uh, not a problem. He didn’t look cold, but habits die hard, you know,” Echo responded sheepishly, but Crosshair shook his head and his lips turned as if he tasted something sour.

“No, I mean…” he huffed and averted his gaze in favor of the wall, “I meant thank you for not listening to his idiotic plan of sacrificing himself, and pulling his sorry ass out of the snow. And for keeping him safe when I couldn’t.”

To say Echo was stunned would have been the understatement of the year. And as much as he was tempted to gape and act as surprised as he felt, Echo knew an olive branch when he saw one. His face softened and he indulged himself in running his hand over Tech’s brow gently enough not to wake him.

“You’re welcome, Cross. And I promise that whenever I can, I’ll stay by his side and protect him if you ever can’t. All of you are important to me now, and I want us to see the end of the war together.”

The saw the sniper nod, seemingly satisfied with that answer, and Echo finally let himself pull away. Echo headed back to the cockpit feeling lighter than before, knowing that Tech was in the best hands he could be.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?”

Tech allowed himself to roll his eyes, but only because he knew that Echo would not see it from where he was sitting between his legs facing forward.

“Of course I am. This is not physically strenuous and falls within all the given health parameters that the medical droid provided. If you would note carefully, I have not even left my bunk,” he said as he removed the outer casing of Echo’s cerebral interface.

The two of them were sitting in the empty barracks, the others having left not too long ago to spend some time at the shooting range. Unfortunately, Tech and Echo were still on medical leave, and were left behind to rest in the quiet room. Only instead of being tired, both of them were bored to tears. It hadn’t taken much effort on Tech’s part to lure Echo over to his bunk with the promise of potentially fixing the reason that the reg was still on medical leave.

In order to comply with orders (and so in case Hunter or Crosshair surprised them by coming back early), they had agreed to have Echo settle on the floor at Tech’s feet, giving him a good angle to reach the back of his head without leaving his bed. Echo wasn’t on bed restrictions, thankfully, so this would do just fine.

It also had the added benefit of letting Echo seek out the physical reassurance he’d been wanting since they had left Kimiji. He hadn’t asked to join Tech on his bunk the last two days, probably out of some misplaced worry it would affect his rest and recouperation, but it wasn’t difficult to see the way that Echo hovered near his bunk or how poorly he’d been sleeping since their return.

He felt Echo sigh, his shoulders rubbing up against the inside of Tech’s knees, “Fine, but stop if you feel tired or dizzy again. Or if you need to cough. Don’t want you spitting mucus up in my circuits.”

Tech indulged himself in another eye roll.

They both knew that Echo had every opportunity to seek out help from the Kaminoans and engineers to fix whatever was wrong in his interface implant, but had chosen to wait for Tech to do it instead. It seemed the reg was done having strangers poke around in there, and Tech fully understood the sentiment. The least he could do was work on it now rather than making Echo wait until his medical status was cleared a few days from now.

“Hold still, I’m plugging in now to run the diagnostic. No visible damage at least, so whatever is keeping your body from finding equilibrium is probably small,” he said and began to run the program, “This should only take a few minutes to run.”

Echo grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. Tech could see his fingers tapping anxiously on his arm, and wondered if this activity was causing some upsetting flashbacks for Echo.

“I forgot to commend you on the success of your first mission with the squad,” Tech said after only a moment of pause, “I fear that if you had not been there it may not have gone so well.”

Echo stiffened and would have whipped his head around if it weren’t for Tech reaching out to hold it in place.

“You call that “going well? That’s a successful mission?” Echo said, his voice rising in volume as his waved his arms around.

Tech shrugged, “There were some difficulties, but we all came back and the mission objective was met. So, yes, I consider that successful. Why? Do you not think we performed well?”

Echo sputtered for a moment only for his body to suddenly sag between Tech’s legs, as if he lost all his energy in a single burst of annoyance.

He heard his brother sigh, sounding very tired, and Tech wondered if maybe there was something else wrong with his cerebral interface. He was just about to consult his datapad when he heard Echo begin to speak again, this time much softer.

“No, you’re right, the mission was a success. We did what we were sent to do. It’s was just…it was a hard one. Not just because it was the first. Not just because of the weather either. And it wasn’t like the droids even put up that much of a fight,” he said, his voice sad, and Tech felt him place his hand on top of Tech’s knee, “You almost died, Tech. On my watch I let you get injured, sick, and then was useless to help you. I felt hopeless more times than I really wanted to admit. Looking back, I don’t even know what I could have done better or differently to prevent any of that from happening. And that whole time, even when I was watching you get worse, I was thinking of all the other times I was hopeless. Like back in that chamber…” he trailed off, and Tech thought that if he could see Echo’s eyes they would be gazing off into the dark shadows of the room.

The data pad in his hand pinged that the program had completed, but Tech didn’t look at it yet. He set it aside and placed his hand onto Echo’s shoulder, something he’d seen Rex do for him a few times in comfort before.

“I don’t think you were ever truly hopeless. Not in the mine, nor were you when you were stuck in that chamber. You don’t strike me as the type to give up. Weren’t you the one who was sending out your CT designation sporadically in the hopes that someone would not only recognize, but respond to your calls for help? We both know the statistical probability of that happening was rather low. But you still did it. I followed your live feed for days, and only you know how long you were broadcasting before I found it,” Tech said without any doubt in his voice.

Echo didn’t respond, but Tech could feel his shoulders begin to shake under his palm. He knew Echo was listening.

Tech leaned in closer, dropping his voice to a lower and softer tone, letting his well-controlled emotions slip into the words, “You never gave up on being found. Not then, and not back in that mine. You did everything you could to keep me alive and breathing until the others arrived. I know, because I could feel you holding me. And I heard you and Crosshair speaking to me. I don’t remember everything that was said, but I heard enough to know that you wanted me to hold on because help was coming. You may have felt hopeless at times, but you, Echo, were never and have never been without hope entirely.”

Echo’s shoulder began to shake in earnest now, and Tech knew that he had begun crying. He’d let him keep his sense of privacy in the moment by letting Echo keep facing forward. Echo had a long road of recovery ahead of him, and he knew Tech would be there when he needed him. It was what brothers did for one another.

“And before I forget, let me say…thank you. For coming back for me, and for saving my life,” Tech said, shivering at the thought of the snowbank that would have been his grave if Echo had not found him and dug him out, and the mine that could have been his tomb if Echo and Crosshair hadn’t taken care of him. That had been a close call there, “We’re lucky to have you.”

“I’m beginning to see why you are the one Crosshair goes to, to talk,” Echo said wetly, with a hint of amusement in his words.

Tech scoffed and picked up his datapad again to scroll through, “Hunter can be even better, when given the chance. He manages to say what needs to be said in seventy percent less words than what I would use.”

Echo laughed, “I’ll keep that in mind. Speaking of minds, how’s it looking up there?”

“Excellent. A single loose splice cap, a very easy fix, even by regular standards. This will only take a moment.”

As simple a fix it was, Tech took his time with it for the dual purpose of making sure it was done right and to allow Echo a few moments more to collect himself. While Tech was not opposed to witnessing emotional reactions from his brothers, he had learned that sometimes they preferred to not draw any more attention to it than necessary. Tech sensed this was one of those times. Echo was a proud clone, deservedly so, and he would likely appreciate a moment to process.

Crosshair was the same in many ways.

As much as his two older brothers would probably balk at the comparison, they did have a few characteristics in common if one looked hard enough. It was part of why Tech felt he had been able to adapt to Echo so easily, because he had extensive experience to draw upon from growing up with Crosshair. Emotional damage, it seemed, ran in the family.

And Tech was more than happy to help Echo as he had Crosshair. All of them were. Hunter. Wrecker. And even Cross.

“It looks like I’m just about finished here. How do you feel?”

Echo tentatively got to his feet and walked one pass across the room, a satisfied smile growing on his face the faster he moved unhindered. As he moved back in front of Tech he jokingly did a twirl for him with his arms held out wide, making Tech chuckle.

“I feel as good as new! No dizziness, finally. Was starting to feel like the longest hangover ever.”

Tech nodded and began to pack away his tools, “Excellent. Now we just have to wait for me finish my own recovery and then the squad will be placed back on active duty. Are you ready for our next mission?”

Echo surprised him with the determined glint in his eyes, when Tech had anticipated hesitance. But there was no mistaking the straight posture and set jaw of his newest brother.

Echo nodded firmly, “I’m ready.”

It was only another standard week later when they got their orders to ship out again. Echo was honestly surprised that they were already being released, but their squad was apparently in high demand and the war had not paused just because a few of them were recovering.

At first Echo had worried when the Kaminoans had cleared Tech for duty, especially since they still heard him coughing occasionally at night, but Tech had assured them it was normal and not him getting worse. Echo could tell that Crosshair had some of the same reservations, but orders were orders in this case, and Tech really did look a lot better. He had even been able to run the five miles that Hunter had put them through the day before the mission to check their fitness. It really did seem like they were healthy and ready to go.

Echo hadn’t lied to Tech, he was ready for their next mission. Eager even. He had purpose again, he was working towards the greater good, protecting the Republic. What he’d been created to do. It was knowing what they did made a difference that helped him work through his own anxieties and demons that were still rearing their ugly heads in his dreams. Yes, he still was terrified of losing his new brothers to the monster that was war, but…he’d survived it before. He’d survived. Tech had survived. Crosshair had survived. Not without scars or broken hearts, but all of them had found purpose and family again.

Echo had found a place he belonged, and was cared for. He’d found people he genuinely loved.

He had felt so hopeless before. But was never completely without hope. Tech was right. Echo could do this, he could keep going. Keep fighting. Like it was coded into his DNA to never give up.

So, when the five of them stood before the Marauder, all armored up and briefed on their next mission, Echo’s heart felt steady and his cybernetic feet stood firm.

To his right stood Tech, his head ducked down as he scrolled through his latest batch of data on the planet they were being sent to. Echo felt a rush of affection run through him as his youngest brother seemed to sense his gaze and look up, offering a wry grin as they boarded together.

He could feel the solid presence of Hunter and Wrecker at his back, protective and assuring. They were grouching over the lack luster food at the mess that morning, and how even with Hunter’s enhanced senses, the food was a bland as a Kaminoan’s speech pattern. Echo felt safer just knowing they were there.

And behind all of them, Echo could just make out the silver crown of Crosshair’s head over Wrecker’s shoulders, the barrel of his rifle swinging with his steps as he took up the rear of the group. He was silent, but Echo didn’t feel like he was withdrawn, not like their first week together. Echo now knew the differences in Crosshair’s silences, and knew that the sniper was listening and watching over all of them in his own way.

They were an odd bunch, the men of Clone Force 99, but they all seemed to fit together perfectly, like individual pieces from several different puzzles somehow coming together seamlessly. At first, Echo felt like the stray piece that would never find a place that fit him like before. But somehow, he had managed to find his place within the Bad Batch. He felt like he truly belonged somewhere again, and these men felt like home, like…

Yaim’la.